One side of the cab on the ballast regulator. It has one of the more modern logos for the Canadian Pacific Railway, it came from the CPR Engineering Services. Safety stickers read: "This equipment helps you earn your living. Please take care of it!" (in both English and French) "To prevent serious injury or damage to equipment, always ensure that work components are secured in "travel" position and that all safety locking devices have been applied prior to track traveling with this machine." "Walk around. Check your equipment." "Danger 84+ Db" "STOP: Are you sure you have track protection?" "WARNING Hearing protection required."

The rotating brush drum used to sweep ballast off the top of the rails. It can be raised or lowered. Each brush "bristle" is thick rubber, about 2inches in diameter. Heavy plastic flaps surround the outside of the brush unit to reduce the chances of ballast being flung and damaging someone or something nearby.

Here are some bonus closeups for curious eyes:
-A better look at the Canadian Pacific Railway logo and safety labels
-A look at the brush used to sweep ballast off the tops of railway ties
#mowequipment #railways #NRM #trainmuseum

First the truck has to back its trailer onto the tracks. Semi truck drives are incredibly skilled to be able to navigate narrow roads and tricky maneuvers like this one! The red truck is right at - or slightly over - the edge of the road as the driver carefully maneuvers the 60-foot trailer carrying the ballast regulator through the driveway fence. Museum staff supervise and help watch all sides of the movement.

Once through the gate, the truck then needs to align itself with the existing rails. The red truck and trailer are at an angle, facing towards the camera. The truck is in the process of carefully moving back and forth to work the trailer into place without bumping into any Museum infrastructure.

The flat bed of the trailer has two grooves in it which uniquely allows it to support railway equipment and roll equipment directly onto the tracks without the need for bolting together connecting rail segments. The red trailer has been lowered, the end now only a couple inches off the ground while the ballast regulator is held in place with heavy chains to support the winch.

Touchdown! The teamwork guided the ballast regulator safely down onto the Museum's track with near perfect alignment. The ballast regulator is in the foreground with the end of the red trailer to the left. Behind it in a brighter yellow is the Museum's Pettibone, also used for maintenance at the Museum.

We're often asked how equipment arrives at the Museum, as the historic 5.5 miles of track are isolated from any other rail lines. The answer usually involves a heavy-duty trailer and a series of cranes, but in this case all we needed was one high-tech heavy-duty trailer!
#mowequipment #railways #NRM

A large rusty looking yellow machine, the ballast regulator, being slowly towed down from the delivery trailer. On the left, a winch cable line helps guide the descent. On the right, a chain is pulled taut attached to another piece of equipment that is slowly pulling the machine down onto the rails.

The Museum acquired a new piece of maintenance-of-way equipment yesterday: a PYKE ballast regulator from the Canadian Pacific Railway. It may look worn, but is a year newer than even the 1998 Amtrak Cascades Bistro Car.
#mowequipment #railwaymuseum #trainmuseum #trains #railways #NRM