MoW: Vegetation Control (Weed Spray)

Marty Bernard posted two photos with the comment: "Here's a weed sprayer at Leland, IL on July 17, 1963. And the operator was spraying the station platform! One train each way stopped at Leland -- the Galesburg local, which was an E-unit and one car, and it stopped at the depot behind the camera. I'm sure what ever he was spraying was not environmental friendly either. But it makes an interesting picture. The second picture is of CB&Q GP7 225 630717 pushing the Weed Sprayer train."

Marty Bernard shared

Candice Marie Lynn

https://youtu.be/OiuXFQj2rMQ

Caught this in Mitchell Illinois at Lennox Tower which was closed a few years ago. Not much has changed in the equipment set up in 60 years.

Marty Bernard: Candice Marie Lynn The weed sprayer crew is on the roof.

Candice Marie Lynn: Marty Bernard some things have changed and I thought about that when I posted it. Instead of spraying from the front, they’re spraying from the “cans”, the motor is on point and, there’s no cabin. But overall, the practice seems the same. Overall, a rare catch for me and not really something you see everyday.

J Pete Hedgpeth: Old agreement between RR and engineers...from "back in the day" when the "chemical" was poison and was actually referred to as "Poison Weed Killer"...I worked one just like this...it may have even been this one...summer 1958 on the Burlington's Wymore Division I was told that the agreement with the engineers provided that there be 8 cars between engine and spray car. We sprayed two days Lincoln-Falls City via Tecumseh first day...Falls City-Wymore via Table Rock, Burchard etc. I just added that experience to my "Wonderful Railroad days" and have written for several publications about. it. My job as head brakeman was to ride "up front" with the spray operator and control the speed and stops and starts via HAND SIGNALS...no radios. I just added this experience to my repoitous of unique..never to be repeated or forgotten railroad experiences.

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safe_image for Steve Patterson, 1966
Seemingly with all nozzles “on,” a HABCO weed sprayer train works northward on the Rock Island at Holton, Kansas, headed for St. Joseph, Mo.

In the 1960's, they used to "generously" spray the vegetation on both sides of the track as well as the roadbed. Now they mechanically chomp up the tree branches and brushes on the sides that are too close to the roadbed to reduce how much herbicide is sprayed into the environment.

 

R. Horn Railroad Photos posted

CB&Q at Riverside, IL. Nalco Chemical Co. car heading up a westbound train while spraying herbicide along the tracks.

At the time there was a spur or siding on the south side of the line (seen at right edge), mostly used by work crews. I seem to remember seeing a small doodlebug parked there as well.

R. Horn Railroad Photos shared

Another photo by my dad, Richard A. Horn

Michael James: Does anybody know what they sprayed? When in college I worked summers for the DOT (1978, 1979) on a rode crew. We were working near a BN crossing when the spray train came towards us. They stopped the train and made us leave while they sprayed. The gentleman in charge told me the product came from a chemical plant near Palmyra MO. They mix a large baby food jar worth into the entire tank. He said it will work for 5 years. Now he may have been full of bananas but that is what he said.

John Carmen Jacobs: Michael James I worked at that plant for twenty years, it’s located on the K-Line at South River MO between West Quincy and Hannibal. The product that we made that was sold to railroads was a herbicide called Arsenal. It was a total vegetation killer that almost sterilized the soil. The same plant produced Thimet and Counter insecticides . These three chemicals are in the same family as Agent Orange.

20150913,16 4674, Northwest Corner

UP has done a nice job of preserving the C&NW depot in DeKalb. While I was taking pictures of the depot, I noticed the MoW equipment (red truck) on the left side of this picture. I took a closeup of the truck (below).

Note the seat on the back with a joystick for each hand. When in operation on a track, I had presumed the boom on top swings around and that it has nozzles on the end of the boom to do targeted spraying of herbicide on the roadbed for vegetation control. But now I have determined that it is a vacuum loader truck.

Vern Wigfield -> Grain Elevators of North America

Vern's comment:

Marietta, MN - 1954 -- M&StL Weed Burner 427 scorches the main line while passing by the Pacific Grain Co elevator. The Co-op in view was the main gas station in town and was farmers owned.

This would be one way to avoid releasing herbicides into the environment. But one of the comments pointed out it might be a little hard on the ties. And it is a good thing the grass is very green. Otherwise there would be a lot of ground fires.

20151026 5107c

BNSF also does precision herbicide spraying. I zoomed in on a picture I took while railfanning on my way home from the Downers Grove library at Forest Avenue. Note the green clump of ragweed in the foreground. If you look very closely between it and the tracks, you can see brown sprigs of killed vegetation. Also, the green clump by the road shows where they had to bring in the spray boom to clear the crossing gates.

I deliberately took a photograph down the track to the west to show that there was a precise line between live and dead vegetation at about 10-12 feet away from the track. But I can't find that photo. Another mystery as to what did I do wrong.

Update: There is no doubt the following equipment is weed spraying. Gary Talska posted two photos with the comment "Heads up on the IAIS Peoria sub. Asplundh Weed Sprayer train is in Bureau tonight 03/31/2016. Reportedly will be serviced on Friday and spraying on the sub Saturday and Sunday."

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Doug Gartner posted two photos with the question: "What was this I spotted in Topeka today?"
William Busby: Vegetation Spray Train built by Relco for UP

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Two of the twelve photos along Historic 66 posted by Joseph Tuch Santucci:

a
A Union Pacific weed sprayer train along the former GM&O mainline.

b
The tail end of the weed sprayer train.
[Note the spray is at the front of the second car.]

Unless you like listening to noise, skip to about 0:35.