MoW: Scorpion Flatcar

Rob Moore commented on a posting

On Facebook, someone asked for a closeup picture of the Maintenace-of-Way flatcar that carries its own ramp for loading and unloading  equipment. I learned that the ramp has an incline of 7% and that it can load both steel and rubber wheeled equipment. A hydraulic wench is provided to load disabled equipment. (ProgressiveRail1)

Rob Moore commented on a posting

Rob Moore provided this photo from CSX at Westfield, MA. I tried to imagine how that ramp is unfolded. Since a Facebook comment called it a "scorpion car", it was easy to Google it and find some videos --- retracting and deploying. When the ramp is in an intermediate position, it is obvious why the car is called a scorpion. The sequencing is automated. The remote control has two buttons --- deploy and retract. The longer deploying video confirms that it is unfolded starting with the segment attached to the car. Then the second and fourth joints are done in parallel. And then the remaining joints are done one at a time. One source indicated it took 15 minutes and another source indicated it takes 5 minutes. Since 3 people were watching in the deploying video, maybe it worked 3 times faster. Or maybe the 5 minute value is the correct one. I assume trains have more than one flatcar with bridges between them so that this ramp allows them to load multiple cars using the "circus ramp" style.

GeorgiaRoad1

In fact, this video confirms that they load multiple flatcars from the ramp at the end. It shows the entire sequence of deployment, loading, and retracting in case you have a lot of coffee to drink.

Update: a video of unfolding when only the first stage worked. A later video when they got the later stages working.

Andre Tardif shared
[It looks like a couple of the MoW units were not needed for whatever job they are doing in this area so they were left on the flats.]

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(new window)   A comment explains that the arms for the tie-puller/installer are extended when loading to make sure the heads don't hit the cars.


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The unfolding starts are 1:41.

safe_image for 6:01 YouTube Video
Paul Waggle: I have drove a Holland welding truck up that ramp backwards. Will make your butt pucker lol
Christopher Dehart: Paul Waggle the scrap crane is the one that always made me pucker.

A 11:52 webcams video of loading equipment The good shots of them loading start at 3:33. At 4:53, a couple of the yellow critters had trouble making it up the ramp. At 8:50, they fold the ramp up.