Amazing railway track laying machine

I want one of these.

[@nlo114]

I worked on KWVR as a volunteer for many years. This machine does in one night what it would take a large gang of us to do in two weeks manually. My house backs onto a railway; they were doing a track-replacement at night last week so I went to see what was keeping me awake: It was one of these things. I'm dead impressed, I walked along the path by the railway and watched it lift out the old jointed 45 & 60 footers on woods and put in a 760 foot length of continuous rolled on new sleepers. That sleeper-carrier zooms back and forth at worrying speeds. 10/10 for the smarty-pants's that designed this!

[@asmrsupial8980]

Someone asked below in the comments for some sort of commentary as to what the machines were actually doing at any given time. I was a conductor and then promoted to a locomotive engineer so my experience is more to do with the operation of trains and engines, but I've been around this equipment enough to know generally what's going on here. 0:01 - 0:16 the machine is cradling and laying down new concrete ties onto a conveyor belt type system. The conveyor will push the ties forward and then drop them onto the ballast rocks below the machine as the machine progresses forward. 0:17 - 0:56 the machine is gathering up the old concrete ties that the machine has scooped up onto another conveyor system and staged them out of the way. The machine then transports these old ties to the rear of the train, as they are no longer needed/being replaced. 00:57 - 1:08 you can observe the new concrete ties moving down forward that will be dropped onto the ballast, and also underneath those on the other conveyor the old concrete ties moving back to the staging area to be later transported to the rear, as I described a moment ago. 1:09 - 1:25 you can observe the machine plucking the old concrete ties out from the ballast rock and loading them onto the conveyor. 1:27 - 1:34 you can observe the new concrete ties being shoved down the conveyor and dropped down onto the ballast rock. 1:35 - 1:55 the machine is spacing the new ties from one another the appropriate distance. 1:56 - 2:13 the machine is positioning the solid welded rail back in place onto the new tie plates which are bolted down to the tops of the new concrete ties. 2:14 - 2:41 the trackmen are laying insulated plates down and hardware that will be later clasped over them. 2:42 - 2:48 the machine is shoving the hardware over the insulator plates, causing them to clasp down and lock the rail in place. 2:49 - 2:56 a scoop is sculpting the ballast rock into it's designated resting location, later to be tamped down. 2:57 - 3:31 the machine is doing several functions at once. The front scoop is pulling in some ballast rock and tunneling it up through a shoot, whilst also a grinding wheel of sorts seems to be sideways tamping rock under the rail while another part of the machine is lifting the rail to it's desired level position. So basically it's lifting the track, shoving rocks under it and in the process some of the rocks get pulled into a shoot that are then back-filled over the empty sides of the track. 3:20 you can see more clearly what I mean by that. 3:31 - 3:40 nothing to see here.. the machine is just getting out of the way for another type of machine to now move into position. 3:41 - 4:01 think of a street sweeper, only with rocks clearing them from the rail and center, then kind of molding them down where they'll need to be tamped down into place later. 4:02 - 4:51 those are like multiple jack hammers all tamping the rocks down into place to tighten the foundation the rail and ties will settle on. It seems to also be making another level adjustment on the rail, because as the ballast shifts around it's changing. The process is similar to stomping dirt around a post that you've put into a hole. 4:42 on, ballast rock cars are opened at the bottom and rocks are back filling any loose areas that will probably be yet again tamped down.

[@TwitchingMayhem]

Thanks for the detailed explanation.

[@haxney]

ASMRsupial Thank you for an amazingly detailed explanation! It's mesmerizing to watch such awesome technology and production in action, and even better to understand some of what is going on!

[@abayyoo4252]

ASMRsupial what this thing called?

[@ronhoffstein8142]

Don't know about being promoted from conductor to engineer, but either career is most respectable. Dad was a conductor and had utmost respect for what at one time was called a Gandy Dancer. Guess these machines put those guys out of work, much as computerization did with the conductor's job.

[@TonyStark-cv5vd]

ASMRsupial how fast locomotive can go? Can he do 90?

[@NorristownRoomofDoom]

That overhead crane thing moves are a pretty high speed.

[@HaloToday]

blows my mind that people can come up with stuff like this! If I was the ruler of the planet for the past 1000 years I think we all would still be peddling water from the river to our homes!

[@nolanjshettle]

You can't expect someone that's hundreds of years old to still be able to come up with good ideas. :P

[@tralbriggs104]

+HaloToday Like its done in Africa up till now..

[@AshTheNimbat]

here is something sad in USA . WE OLY HAVE ONE KIND OF BULLET TRAIN, WHICH IS THE ACELA EXPRES!! if we get to afford more like europe style bullet train, USA will be a great nation again.

[@AshTheNimbat]

here is something sad in USA . WE OLY HAVE ONE KIND OF BULLET TRAIN, WHICH IS THE ACELA EXPRES!! if we get to afford more like europe style bullet train, USA will be a great nation again.

[@AshTheNimbat]

here is something sad in USA . WE OLY HAVE ONE KIND OF BULLET TRAIN, WHICH IS THE ACELA EXPRES!! if we get to afford more like europe style bullet train, USA will be a great nation again.

[@major600]

That was pretty amazing. Some captions explaining what it's doing and why would be great.

[@SouthCalifas619]

A lot of railroad companies need this especially for passenger and commute and transportation railroads light rail even. When tracks need to be replaced the process is too long with the machinery they use and causes extreme delays and makes us late.

[@larryfibelstad5805]

SouthCalifas619 do h d[:

[@juliancheah1506]

I was wondering who was the genius who came up with the idea for such a machine. Then I saw the name Plasser & Theurer. I should have known it was made by the Germans!

[@bcfuerst]

Austrians actually.

[@juliancheah1506]

BC Fuerst Yeah, I realised that when I researched the company after making my comment. But when I made the comment, it was based on it being a German language name, and one can't tell a person's nationality from just looking at his/her surname, Austrian being a nationality rather than a race, and surnames are based on the language of a person's race. The immediate reaction of anyone familiar with the German language is that Plasser & Theurer is a German name. A person who is not a football fan would not guess that Arnautovic and Junuzovic were Austrian based on their surnames. Or that Ibrahimovic was Swedish! I also know the history of Osterreich. I know that it was because of political reasons that Osterreich did not become part of Germany back in the nineteenth century. It was going to be either Preussen or Osterreich who would be leader of the united German states and there was no way that the Habsburgs would bow to the Hohenzollerns.

[@shanyangqu]

Julian Cheah don't get carried away. Austria, Germany, best machinery, great pride, man with toothbrush. See some flash back matey?

[@imluvinyourmum]

RAILWAY TRACK LAYER. Patented Apr. 3,1883 UNITED STATES JOHN TURNER, OF GROSSE ISLE, MICHIGAN Beat you again chump.

[@umapathyr2199]

wonderful in railway it is useful be mech

[@Antianythingism]

whats amazing is not its ability to lay the track but how it makes it level and "settled". drops the gravel on each inch three times, picking it back up again and "steam rolls" it the entire process, making it settled over a few minutes equal to that of 100 years. The reason old track not made by a machine is imperfect is because of settling of the earth. Track laid by machine is using pure gravel and sand, making the "puzzle" fit easier than using dirt mounds.

[@onarix]

A train on a train, Trainception

[@Barnekkid]

Amazing. I'd like to see this process in more detail.

[@Sugarsail1]

sorta takes the fun out of that old song, "I've been workin' on the rail road, all the live long day."

[@renshaw30]

just to be clear, they're not laying track, they're servicing it. From replacing the sleepers and fixing the gravel not actually putting new track down. Super cool though

[@silicongraphics]

those machines where cool. where was this recorded?

[@goldpython2263]

Very impressive!

[@johnnycan1990]

makes you wonder, what the old timers would think if they saw how fast they repair and replace and build track now a days. I bet the golden spike drive would have a heart attack

[@torontochap1]

where is this..., Germany? amazing machinery to alleviate labourers' back-pains, damaged limbs and death, although some checking still done the old-fashioned, eye-verifaction and hand-testing methods, I note. I wonder how many weeks these machines could do the east coast to west coast Canadian railroad!

[@snetmotnosrorb3946]

Some said Belgium.

[@jeepinaround9024]

All the machines and yet there still guys laying the pads and pins, I love the spikes that pack the rock in.. they came by my house one time ( live near tracks) it's a cool machine.. when they weld the rails together is pretty interesting as well

[@TrevorBrass]

It's a train on top of a train. A meta-train!

[@BobFaulkner]

I couldn't help but crinch at the sight of that guy looking into the tie-pulling machine with his hands on it, right next to a sign warning about hands. Guess the hand sign should have had an "x" through it.

[@Norm15002000]

Think of all the back-breaking work those machines save.

[@FirelordRob76]

this recession has hit the autobots pretty hard.

[@kna8385]

Commentary on the steps that we're watching would be helpful for those of us who are not in the railroad industry but watching with an interested child.

[@asmrsupial8980]

0:01 - 0:16 the machine is cradling and laying down new concrete ties onto a conveyor belt type system. The conveyor will push the ties forward and then drop them onto the ballast rocks below the machine as the machine progresses forward. 0:17 - 0:56 the machine is gathering up the old concrete ties that the machine has scooped up onto another conveyor system and staged them out of the way. The machine then transports these old ties to the rear of the train, as they are no longer needed/being replaced. 00:57 - 1:08 you can observe the new concrete ties moving down forward that will be dropped onto the ballast, and also underneath those on the other conveyor the old concrete ties moving back to the staging area to be later transported to the rear, as I described a moment ago. 1:09 - 1:25 you can observe the machine plucking the old concrete ties out from the ballast rock and loading them onto the conveyor. 1:27 - 1:34 you can observe the new concrete ties being shoved down the conveyor and dropped down onto the ballast rock. 1:35 - 1:55 the machine is spacing the new ties from one another the appropriate distance. 1:56 - 2:13 the machine is positioning the solid welded rail back in place onto the new tie plates which are bolted down to the tops of the new concrete ties. 2:14 - 2:41 the trackmen are laying insulated plates down and hardware that will be later clasped over them. 2:42 - 2:48 the machine is shoving the hardware over the insulator plates, causing them to clasp down and lock the rail in place. 2:49 - 2:56 a scoop is sculpting the ballast rock into it's designated resting location, later to be tamped down. 2:57 - 3:31 the machine is doing several functions at once. The front scoop is pulling in some ballast rock and tunneling it up through a shoot, whilst also a grinding wheel of sorts seems to be sideways tamping rock under the rail while another part of the machine is lifting the rail to it's desired level position. So basically it's lifting the track, shoving rocks under it and in the process some of the rocks get pulled into a shoot that are then back-filled over the empty sides of the track. 3:20 you can see more clearly what I mean by that. 3:31 - 3:40 nothing to see here.. the machine is just getting out of the way for another type of machine to now move into position. 3:41 - 4:01 think of a street sweeper, only with rocks clearing them from the rail and center, then kind of molding them down where they'll need to be tamped down into place later. 4:02 - 4:51 those are like multiple jack hammers all tamping the rocks down into place to tighten the foundation the rail and ties will settle on. It seems to also be making another level adjustment on the rail, because as the ballast shifts around it's changing. The process is similar to stomping dirt around a post that you've put into a hole. 4:42 on, ballast rock cars are opened at the bottom and rocks are back filling any loose areas that will probably be yet again tamped down.

[@asmrsupial8980]

My railroad experience is a conductor for 2 years(glorified passenger, conductors mostly sit there and drink coffee and talk to the engineer), and a locomotive engineer(The guy operating the freight trains) for several years following that. I haven't actually laid tracks, nor do I know how these machines work exactly but I've been around the stuff enough to have a general idea. I basically know the movement of trains and engines. The commentary I've left above was just a labor of love, as I like all things trains and you asked for some clarity.

[@sandpit72]

Robot nation,wow,sometimes i wonder why i even bother to get out of bed.

[@TransportLondonPhoto]

That is a very impressive machine! We could do with more of those in the UK!

[@BobRoberts1492]

Actually it's a tie swapper - picks up old wood ties and replaces them with modern concrete sleepers.

[@johnwarren3960]

Odd how the top rated comments are typically pointless and meaningless. Oh well, such is the level of ignorance and stupidity on KZbin. I like this video. The engineering involved amazes me. I can't understand how one would even begin to design machines like those. Thanks for uploading. Far more interesting than the normal videos of cats falling off things!

[@canonet17]

This is basically the Inky Poo John Henry competed against but has come to life

[@methedr]

Why are we still using wood ties in the US? For us to do the same amount of track would take 1000 Chinese workers

[@Pynaegan]

*singing* I've been loafing on the railroad, this machine does all the work. I've been loafing on the railroad, my job can be done by any ol'jerk. Pick 'n hammer are obsolete, guess I don't need em no more. Time to pick up my $10 paycheck an visit my sleazy "financially motivated and occasional girl friend"!

[@Odin7thor]

guys who design this kind of mechinery are fucking geniuses

[@mattiasengstrom6954]

They´re vibrating to make it more compact under the tracks.If they didn´t do this the tracks would sink and start to tilt.

[@andy66linemen]

I remember watching rail movies like this with my grandfather RIP

[@TheSpartan1699]

So it doesn't replace the track, just the ties?

[@Antianythingism]

A human couldn't calculate the imperfections in the graduation and despondence like the machine can; as the train travels, the side lip pulling down on the side rollers tells the computer the vertical angle of the track, which it counteracts by pulling up on the track and dropping gravel/sand precisely to make it level or to gradually ascend or descend within 1 degree.

[@msj2]

Imagine something breaking on that machine? Holy hell that would be a rat's nest....

[@JBofBrisbane]

Yes, the old Queensland Rail had one, now owned by the publicly floated Aurizon. That's if you consider 1067mm (3' 6") narrow gauge.

[@johnnybikesalot]

Yo Dawg! I heard you like trains! We put a train on your train so you could watch trains while you watched trains!

[@user-se8jg5ul7e]

What

[@Hoxxz]

Instead of Hell on Wheels its heaven on wheels now

[@JBofBrisbane]

Track tamping - rails and sleepers (ties) are lifted, then vibrated into the ballast.

[@janberousek63]

They have solved and automated everything in the whole process - except for planting those little blue thingies, where they need living people to do it by hand. But maybe they come as a part of the machine

[@Lwhite-xk4vh]

Somebody tell someone!! Like hornby or Bachmann and get them to build it in HO/OO

[@darthramon100]

I worked on a similar prototype in new York in the 80's made by plasser it was a tie change out machine. TCOM. It was a blast!

[@rostyslavshkuropatskyy325]

An invention saving time and money. Really awesome!

[@davidconklin7586]

One of those times when I think the good Lord looks down and says "My kids did good!"

[@JimTheZombieHunter]

Although the track-o-matic failed to work as originally intended, Wile E. Coyote sold the patent rights to ACME, retired wealthy, and now lives on a ranch in Arizona where he raises deaf one legged emus.

[@TheBrickBrothers]

It is like riding a train...ON A TRAIN!!!

[@Bonbonbonbonbon]

If the train is laying tracks behind itself then what is the front of the train riding on?

[@imtypingwords]

so is it replacing old rails or is it making a new railway? how do the thing have rails to roll on to begin with if its making it?

[@snetmotnosrorb3946]

It's replacing. A layer from scratch can be found here kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqjMf5R-orSmmbc

[@FrankyLon]

Modern railways are constructed with assembly line method, like U cann see on this vid. Long track sactions, like 120-150 meters and laied on concrete sleepers than fixed, finaly welded to continous tracks without gaps. The advantages of this are less noise, bigger passanger comfort, longer service life of the tracks and the railway veicheles also. Only the turnouts are laid in prefabricated sections.

[@ObviousSchism]

Nice analogy. I put salt and pepper on my food

[@kpdvw]

SNCB, Belgium Railways using Austrian Track laying machine, Now when will the USA abandon it's civil war era railroad technology?

[@KyleMills1]

Wonder how many miles they can lay per day

[@twinhd6376]

amazing,even the robots in high viz look real.

[@RedArrow73]

I wonder if one of those could be made 5' 2-1/2" gauge?

[@thecpmr6276]

When you think about it, it's really just a super complicated and big steel driving hammer.

[@HolzMichel]

too bad John Henry isn't around to see this thing run...

[@BobFaulkner]

So, what is the advantage of the concrete ties over wooden ties, apart from saving our forests? I mean, the concrete ties are so close together, it is almost like laying a full concrete road-bed. Wooden ties are spaced much farther apart.

[@jedrorm]

Bob Faulkner Concrete ties are strong, possibly cheaper than treated wooden ties and heavier. They're placed more frequently due to the demands on modern railsystems, placing any type of rail tie far apart would result in the track bending or damaging quickly overtime.

[@patrickfrancis513]

bbqroast

[@dhoosee]

+bbqroast which is why tracks here in the USA suck; we still use wood ties that require more maintenance and are inferior to concrete. I have a train line right in my back yard and often watch them go by. The rails and ties flex quite a bit..much more than I'd like. You will not find track this nice, or track laying machines this sophisticated in America.

[@jedrorm]

David See I believe there's entire company dedicated to making these in the US actually. Many US tracks do use concrete sleepers as well. While US rail operations are very profitable (maybe $20-30 billion/yr over several companies), sadly they face very, very subsidized competition. Probably around $56 to $128 billion dollars is spent on the trucking industry by the government, possibly much more. That's based on the amount of damage trucks do to roads, and the total maintenance costs of those roads (of which the majority comes from non-fuel tax subsidy). However many of those roads shouldn't exist without subsidy, which makes trucking even cheaper. Anyway, if it weren't for those subsidies the US could have one hell of a rail transport industry.

[@zeom76]

Incredible machine!

[@VertigaDesignMEDIA]

ive arrived at this damned video over 6 times already

[@80sVidLover]

I was good with most of this operation, but what's happening from 4:10 thru 4:50???

[@hottroddinn]

Absolutely loved this!! Thank you so much for posting! :)

[@dennisboekema2065]

Amazing machines at work...it nearly looks like alien technoligy...

[@joelkafrion]

how do these machines handle bends?

[@sidneyoreilly1135]

how does it do the curves don't the rails on top stretch and tighten as it turns

[@SergioPintoV300]

I was fucking bored like hell... I was looking for something interesting... I searched for "Amazing things"... I'm here...

[@ADAKAR83]

you are laying railway tracks with us ... :-D

[@FrankyLon]

Almost there. :) It is Austrian actuelly, Plasser and Theurer.

[@Lee-70ish]

The Guy who invented the Pandrol clips for holding the rails to the sleepers use to get 1penny for every clip used needless to say he was a millionare several times over.

[@JMAC-rs6ey]

Dey busted dah mold when dis cat was resurrected gawd daaaam

[@MrNovacky]

Fascinating! Amazing engineering!

[@BeechHorn]

If only the trains that used them ran so smoothly...

[@Mim_BI]

Amazing video, and i thought earthworks is complex .

[@Bobdibob]

What's happening around 3:25? It just seems to be collecting old stones then relaying them...

[@RayTutajjr]

Back in 1869 the Central Pacific laid ten miles of track in one day. Can they do that with this machine? I wonder.

[@dersimmler518]

if it runs at 2 km/h continously and 24 hrs a day that would be 48 km/day which is round about 29,83 miles ...so yeah they possibly can , but not sure if they run 24 hrs/day

[@chettfitzgerald]

For some reason I read that as: "Back in 1869, in the Central Pacific, I laid ten miles of track in one day..." I was very impressed and confused. haha

[@RayTutajjr]

Chett Fitzgerald You might need a new pair of glasses. It says "the Central Pacific laid ten miles of track in one day. I can do it in HO scale if I had to.

[@BeMeCam]

Well, you don't need to hire/enslave 2000 people to get it done any more.

[@mariolorber7355]

Now we have machines then we had slaves hmmm i wonder whats better, MORON

[@1USAUSA]

It is costing a lot of jobs, but then not a lot of work would be done in one day. It will probably take months to finish one mile of track whereas with this machine a couple of days or in one day.

[@HugoGreen1988]

Maybe I'm crazy but watched it twice :D

[@Delfinmar]

Very cool! @ 3:07 is that compaction ballast and native underneath the New ties and rail?!

[@CaptainTransit]

Delfinmar I do believe it is track leveling.

[@Delfinmar]

Thank you!

[@koendevriendt6120]

a beautiful machine of the Belgian Railroads NMBS ( infrabel now ).

[@0m4rpakisolja]

i feel top gear need to do a power lap of this

[@Buellke]

These machines are from Infrabel, The first one is the P93 track laying machine, the second is The Rm 80-01 Ballast sifting machine, the third is the SSP ballast forming machine, followed By the' 09-3X Tamping machine, Then a train with Ballast, normal followed again with a tamper and a ballast plow to clean the whole track, followed by a stabilization train, and as last the RM130 measurements train. The whole operation cost is a lot at least 32000 euro a day....

[@Delfinmar]

OK yeah...I see. Pipeliner here and subsidence is my fear!

[@76JohnBee]

If you want technology, LOOK TO THE RAILROADS!

[@borislemke]

This is in austria, right?

[@ajjohnston78]

P811 since the late 70's..

[@Peter78730]

If I was in charge, I'd get the machines on the track in the wrong order.

[@aliakbarsafdari4084]

We need this and better signalling systems here in India, if our rails are ever gonna improve... Mudiji plss?

[@VENUSALIPETIT1]

WWOOOWWW VERY INTERESTING! THANK U SO MUCH FOR SHARING

[@kenamaro]

How are rail joints connected?

[@pearlyhumbucker9065]

thermite welding for example

[@hanyelmaidomy3155]

High technology to reach this level of skill

[@mxsalm]

One of the best vids ever

[@mickeydavenport6245]

All of this and why can't you get a passenger train from Seattle to Spokane or Moses lake ect

[@eivad1]

can this machine go into corners too

[@ostlandr]

Amazing. With this technology, we could build a new high-speed, low-grade, transcontinental railroad in no time flat. Except we can't build anything in this country any more without thousands of NIMBYs and environmentalists and Watermelons (green on the outside, red on the inside) filing federal lawsuits to stop it. Also sad to see a railroad having to replace concrete ties- they were supposed to last indefinitely, but they don't hold up as well as the manufacturers claimed.

[@user-tb2jy9lu3d]

1:40 That one in the middle on the right looks crooked...

[@waldenhouse]

No wonder there's so many accidents!

[@davidford2169]

I actually liked that a lot.thank you.👍🇬🇧

[@emptymorphous]

piece of art

[@PANKAJKUMAR-nx5up]

What is the name of this machine...??

[@phil9947]

This really IS amazing!

[@AveeshKumar]

3D Railway track printer!

[@prasenjeetpradhan818]

My god... This is insane!!