Otm & Bdv!
 

Thought Id have a go at starting this thread.
I have over the years worked professionaly with the big yellow stuff, used on the BR and Ex BR infrastructure.
In the mid 1990s I spent a fair bit of time in Plasser & Theurers works in Austria accepting new kit for the UK, Ironically, 10 years on Im back involved with it again whilst working for freight operating co's.

I also spent many years on rerailing duties, so often worked with the breakdown train and cranes, I also used to drive the Bruff road/rail vans for derailments.

Just curious to how many people are out that that share the interest of big yellow bits of kit and re-railing and recovery work?
Cheers
Ringo

You are not the only one involved with the stuff - and I find it fascinating. I spend a lot of time carrying out noise and vibration assessments on the stuff - and I have to say that some of the new stuff out there may appear excellent, but it really is a bunch of dross.

What is fun though - and I had a chance to do this last year - is to carry out the noise and vibration tests on a man access trolley - the Lesmac Swift - on a private railway, and being given the chance to have a go - this thing accelerates and stops like a go-cart!!!!:)

OTM or MOW...
 

Stanners ...where you from, not involved with a certain amount of vehicles for the NDS are you?????

Ive been involved with big yellow machines since the early 1990's, and have spent a lot of time in Austria at Plasser & Thurers works in Linz.

What else you been involved with?

Ringo...:rolleyes:

I admit I have been derelict in getting more railroad machinery posted on my website. I have hundreds of pics of the stuff. Here is a link to what I do have so far:

http://www.trainweb.org/tomfassett/pics2/mow_spec.html

Tom F

Cranes
 

Liked the ACR rail crane, what is it ..about 100 ton capacity?

Ive got some of a rail crane taken in Toronto in 1986, about the same size as the ACR one, it used to be kept at the depot which is now the sky dome i believe, it was also used to rerail one of EWS's new class 66's when that fell off in 1998...

I have a load of pics taken at Agincourt yard Toronto, in 86, but would need to scan them in though.
what typesof OTP/MOW you been involved with then?

Ringo

Right on. Good call... ;)


Taking pictures of the things mostly... The only work I've ever done on anything like this is painting old stuff at a railway museum. :D

Tom F

Ringo

From Staffordshire mate, but do a fair bit with the High Output Trains at the mo - the ballast cleaners and the tampers and regulators in particular.

Also do the noise and vibration work on the fleet that the Comapny own - mix of P&C and PL Tampers, Road Railers - Unimogs, Land Rovers, 26T Seddon Atkinsons, EGO4s plus some new stuff coming in this year.....

Stanners,
 

So are you based at the OLd Jarvis yard (Salop sidings) at Stafford then for Net Rail?

I used to be passed and used to drive the old BRUFFs...and also 130" R/R land Rovers:) .
Spent many hours out with the old HOBC that being DR76101, the Kershaw bult monster, and the associated SLSHS and BDS support trains.

Ringo

Nah - I work for a company whose HQ is in Scotland!! All the stuff is based in Manchester or north of the border, plus the HOBC sets in Reading and Donny that we operate under a JV for Network Rail - and to be honest this is only a small part of my job, but it is the bit I enjoy the most, as I am also involved in looking at how the railway copes with new legislation on noise and vibration - and specifically re OTP, RRMs, RMMMs + RRVs.....

Green Locos
 

Ah, the big green locos on the front of your trains in/out of Reading are ours!
Ringo:D

Aahhhh - would love to get the chance to do some noise work for you guys!!!!!!

Where u work out of - Crewe?

The only prob with my job is it takes me all over country away from OTP, where I would love to spend more time...

Somehow missed this thread when it started, but now I know how to add thumbnails I will use this thread to post some pictures of the various wonderous machine that visit the EVR at Wirksworth to gain their acceptance certificates to work on Network Rail, instaed of posting them in the Photo Gallery!

Sounds good to me John. Will you add a comment so that we know what they are? :)

Ah, you beat me to it. :D

As a user of the P-Way I'm completely ignorant of what you guys get up to. Reading the WONs we get to hear about cyclic top and gauge corner cracking, etc - but it would be great to have an explanation of what the big yellow machines do - and why. I'm sure that like all things in life there's alot more to the job than a layman would ever imagine.

Most are very simple like a digger on wheel or on tracks which also have a set of wheels to run on railway track. We had quite an interesting pair on test on Wednesday. Unfortunately the Battery on my camera went flat and I didn't have the spare with me!

Alright... what's a WON? :confused: :D

Sorry Trev, the railway is full of abbreviations. It's a Weekly Operating Notice, and it's required reading for anyone involved in railway operations. The WON contains sections detailing...

Safety Notices
Temporary Speed Restrictions
Engineering Arrangements
Signalling & Permananet Way Alterations
General Instructions & Notices

From a driver's perspective we pick them up as we book on for duty on a Saturday and quickly scan through them, using a magic marker to highlight any situations which relate to the areas we will be working through for the following week. (There is also another publication called the Special Traffic Notice, which has details of specific train movements - and we do the same with that).

HTH

Big Yellow Kit
 

Currently a Track Quality Supervisor so get to work with Tampers Regulators & Stoneblowers both plainline an also the new S&C blower.