Railway Track Replacement Machine in Action

Many of you know that I believe that the backbone of India’s transportation system has to be rail-based. I love trains and continue to marvel at how amazing railroads are. This post is about how amazing are the machines that lay, repair and replace railroad tracks in advanced industrialized countries (and I suppose nowadays in China.)

It must be the mechanical engineer in me which finds railways fascinating. I am amazed but I realize that your level of excitement may well be different. You could just yawn and move on. I am amazed at this video of a track replacement machine (link will open in a new tab or window.)

Human ingenuity demonstrated at a level that we can marvel at. Of course machines that make those ICs and other high technology stuff must be even more amazing but appreciating them would require quite a bit more sophistication than is available to the average human–or even the average human senses. But what we see in that huge machine is more accessible to us.

Next time I will share more videos on the same topic. Leave some of your favorites in the comments. I am sure kids will love them since they find heavy equipment fascinating.

Author: Atanu Dey

Economist.

6 thoughts on “Railway Track Replacement Machine in Action”

  2. Atanu,

    Nice to see your fascination to Large machines. Hope the successor to Mamta comes with bigger ideas and re-build India’s railway infrastructure.

    Here are few large machines I know:

    Bucket wheel excavator – Largest machines used in coal mines

    http://www.larsentoubro.com/lntcorporate/corp/pdf/News_Views-Oct-Dec08.pdf (Page 19 to 21)- Built in India for Rs 350 crores

    Asphalt milling machines – Remove road layer before relaying (nowadays used in India too.

    Oil drilling rigs and offshore floating oil platforms
    http://www.technip.com/en/experience-and-technologies/offshore/floating-platforms

    Also please search for Tunnel boring machine

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  4. I think you’ll find this video fascinating too. It shows the largest heavy lifter antonov flying in the coaches for delhi metro from Germany.

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  5. You do not have to go to China (or any advanced country) to see this in action. If you are living in Pune, you can see it in action on Pune -Daund section:

    This system is slightly different from what you have posted because it requires lesser traffic block than TRT.

    If you are really interested, the best of track technology is available in Pune. Just visit IRICEN (Indian Railway Institute of Civil Engineering) by the side of main gate of Pune station. At any time you can find engineers from half a dozen country being trained – surprise, surprise- by our own sarkaari railway engineers in the use of TRT (Track relaying system) and PQRS (Plasser’s Quick Relaying System).

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