Very cool!

Amazing railway track laying machine

Very impressive.  Seems like they have to handle the rock quite a few times. It looks to be a lot faster that swinging a hammer.
I wonder how much it can lay in a day?

Plasser (German company), which makes that type of equipment, is one of my clients.  They have a plant in Chesapeake, VA.  They make the 09-3X here in the States.  Don't know if they export it, though.  More than likely it's sourced in Germany.  The video is of a Belgian railroad.  I don't think we use too much concrete ties here.  It's done but not a lot.

http://plasseramerican.com

Nice people.

Plasser (German company), which makes that type of equipment, is one of my clients.  They have a plant in Chesapeake, VA.  They make the 09-3X here in the States.  Don't know if they export it, though.  More than likely it's sourced in Germany.  The video is of a Belgian railroad.  I don't think we use too much concrete ties here.  It's done but not a lot.

http://plasseramerican.com

Nice people.

They upgraded the main line through the highest part of the central Rockies last year and they used concrete ties.

Do they still call them John Henry machines?

Plasser (German company), which makes that type of equipment, is one of my clients.  They have a plant in Chesapeake, VA.  They make the 09-3X here in the States.  Don't know if they export it, though.  More than likely it's sourced in Germany.  The video is of a Belgian railroad.  I don't think we use too much concrete ties here.  It's done but not a lot.

http://plasseramerican.com

Nice people.

Thanks for the info Jim.   

Dear union fat-cat bossman.....

hehe never mind

They upgraded the main line through the highest part of the central Rockies last year and they used concrete ties.

Some of the freight lines by me have been upgraded to concrete ties.  Other sections are currently being replaced with new wood.  I'd assume there is a reason.

I think the high-speed sections where the Amtrak Acela runs between DC and Boston are concrete. 

Yeah, in Germany 'wooden' railroad ties are concrete and the rail 'spikes' are screws. :-)   High speed rail basically requires concrete ties for rigidity so that is about all that is used in Europe. Most of the US still uses relatively slow trains and wood ties work fine for that and are less expensive. Also, wood is a lot more plentiful in the US then it is in most of the developed world so we tend to use it more than other modern countries. That was one of the big attractions of North America to the Brits; the old growth wood that was big, tall and straight enough to serve as ships masts after there was none left in Britain.

That automated track laying equipment really is impressive, great video.

Brian

Plasser (German company), which makes that type of equipment, is one of my clients.  They have a plant in Chesapeake, VA.  They make the 09-3X here in the States.  Don't know if they export it, though.  More than likely it's sourced in Germany.  The video is of a Belgian railroad.  I don't think we use too much concrete ties here.  It's done but not a lot.

http://plasseramerican.com

Nice people.

Yeah, in Germany 'wooden' railroad ties are concrete and the rail 'spikes' are screws. :-)   High speed rail basically requires concrete ties for rigidity so that is about all that is used in Europe. Most of the US still uses relatively slow trains and wood ties work fine for that and are less expensive. Also, wood is a lot more plentiful in the US then it is in most of the developed world so we tend to use it more than other modern countries. That was one of the big attractions of North America to the Brits; the old growth wood that was big, tall and straight enough to serve as ships masts after there was none left in Britain.

I've also seen the use of plastic ties in place of wood; has some flexibility and does not rot.

That's simply AMAZING !!!! 

Thank you for posting it! 

Yeah, in Germany 'wooden' railroad ties are concrete and the rail 'spikes' are screws. :-)   High speed rail basically requires concrete ties for rigidity so that is about all that is used in Europe. Most of the US still uses relatively slow trains and wood ties work fine for that and are less expensive. Also, wood is a lot more plentiful in the US then it is in most of the developed world so we tend to use it more than other modern countries. That was one of the big attractions of North America to the Brits; the old growth wood that was big, tall and straight enough to serve as ships masts after there was none left in Britain.

That automated track laying equipment really is impressive, great video.

Brian

After riding the 200 mph TGV in France a lot I can see why they have to use perfect concrete ties.