Installing Concrete Ties

I thought you might like to see how concrete ties are installed on new Frontrunner:

www.utahtransit.us/ties1.htm

That is the slow way.

Out west, Pomona, they have a track layer train that is lead by a cat, and then a tie layer. It is all more or less automated, then the track is pulled up and clipped on to the ties. The back of the 'train' is many flat cars that carry the concrete ties with a gantry to pick them up off the flat car and run them forward to the front 'car' whre they are set down thru the open section onto the ballast. The company is H something from the mid west.

On the Pomona to SB on the UP they were pulling up the track out to the side, picking up the wood ties, grading the balast, placing new concrete ties. Picking up new rail and cliping it on to the ties in ONE operation. That 'train' is about 1/4 mile long with two locos, UP leading.

Better than doing that by hand . i saw a tv programme on british rail , where i think it was 6 men to safely lift a concrete tie into position . that was for spot replacements though .