Re: (erielack) EL September calendar images - Speno Ballast Cleaner

[Gordon Davids <g.davids_@_verizon.net>]

<The hoppers most likely contained ballast to add to low spots. The tank car appears to have been outfitted with extra hardware, so may be dropping herbicide.>

In 1969 the hoppers in an EL Speno Ballast Cleaner operation were only for holding debris.  EL didn't carry hoppers of ballast with the Speno train then, but they might have begun the practice later.

The D&H did carry ballast cars with the Speno train.  They dumped ballast where the shoulder was "shy," using some former covered hoppers that were converted with sliding plates in the sides of the hopper bottoms so we could control the flow of ballast while moving.  When dumping "make-up" stone with the Speno Train on the D&H, we had to have a railroad track gang with the train to do that work, since Speno only operated their machinery.  IIRC, EL dumped stone to add to shoulder ballast ahead of the Speno train to avoid tying up a section gang with the Speno.

The tank car carried water.  IIRC, it was sprayed on the debris after it was sifted from the ballast, to try to keep down the dust.  You wanted the pre-cleaned ballast to be as dry and dusty as possible, so the fines didn't stick to the good stone, but after that you didn't want the fines blowing all over the place and making a mess.  We didn't operate the Speno train in the rain, or if the ballast was too wet, because it didn't get good separation of the stones and the fines if they were wet and sticky.

Gordon Davids




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