BALLAST CLEANING

The cause and cleaning of dirty ballast are summarized. Information presented was extracted from a technical paper. It was found that if the ballast shoulders and the "cribs", or ballast between the sleepers - together comprising under 40 per cent of the total section - are cleaned, the work will be more than 60 per cent effective. In opening out the ballast preparatory to cleaning, care must be taken not to disturb the part under each sleeper and, in removing the shoulders and cribs, at least 1 in. or 1-1/2 in. should be left intact against the sleeper and the excavation sloped off thence at 1 to 1. Permanent way staff are warned against scooping 3 in. or 4 in. of ballast from under the ends of sleepers to remove the mud which tends to collect there to form compact dams round and under the sleeper-ends. Good ballast cleaning with modern plant will remove 85 to 90 per cent of the dirt.

• Corporate Authors:

  Temple Press Limited

  161-166 Fleet Street
  Longon EC4,   England 
• Authors:
  • Protzeller, H W
• Publication Date: 1947-8-29

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 229-230
• Serial:
  • RAILWAY GAZETTE
  • Volume: 87

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Ballast (Railroads); Cleaning; Costs; Defects; Loads; Maintenance of way; Railroad tracks; Subgrade (Pavements); Technology; Train operations
• Uncontrolled Terms: Ballast; Depressions (Indentations); Vertical loads
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Old TRIS Terms: Train load
• Subject Areas: Finance; Maintenance and Preservation; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00037918
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 8 1994 12:00AM