02-25-2011, 07:36 PM
Here is a shot of some of the KJR volunteers (7/10/2005) working on the track at the Lady Jane mine near Penfield, Pa.
The track is on a 1 percent grade, and the brakes on the cars while loading them had actually ran the rail down hill 10 inches causing enough mis-alignment and gauge spreading to cause derailments. The guys raised the track, realigned and regauged it, replaced all the loose bolts and tamped 400 feet of track, all with hand tools, and replaced 50 bolts on the other track. They also spread 40 tons of new ballast.(in two days) It got them through another year without any problems, and in 2006 the track was upgraded to 130 pound from 100 pound. All I can say is I had one heck of a crew. (they did the railcars in their spare time.)
I might add that working 2 days a week 4 hours a day on track, that they replaced 250 ties a year for the last 5 years I was at the KJR in addition to keeping all the joints tight and track aligned and gauged. Never had a track violation on an FRA inspection from 96 to 2009 when I retired.
(Todd was one of my guys)
The track is on a 1 percent grade, and the brakes on the cars while loading them had actually ran the rail down hill 10 inches causing enough mis-alignment and gauge spreading to cause derailments. The guys raised the track, realigned and regauged it, replaced all the loose bolts and tamped 400 feet of track, all with hand tools, and replaced 50 bolts on the other track. They also spread 40 tons of new ballast.(in two days) It got them through another year without any problems, and in 2006 the track was upgraded to 130 pound from 100 pound. All I can say is I had one heck of a crew. (they did the railcars in their spare time.)
I might add that working 2 days a week 4 hours a day on track, that they replaced 250 ties a year for the last 5 years I was at the KJR in addition to keeping all the joints tight and track aligned and gauged. Never had a track violation on an FRA inspection from 96 to 2009 when I retired.
(Todd was one of my guys)