Electromatic Mk II

Typical track cross section

The basis of any good railroad is track, which consist of rails supported by ties held in place by ballast.  Unlike roads and highways, when track settles the original profile can be restored by jacking and tamping ballast under the ties to hold them in position.  This is an advantage that railroads have over highways, but track is also less forgiving and failure to maintain profile may result in a derailment.  So whether it is an Amtrak Cascades train or a Northwest Railway Museum steam train, the ability to maintain the track profile is important.

Jackson Jr Tamper from the 
Northern Pacific Railway

For more than 40 years, the Museum has maintained its track with a Jackson Junior Tamper, a unit first delivered to the Northern Pacific Railway in the early 1950s.  After about 70 years of service, the Junior Tamper has become difficult to maintain in operation.  In short, the correct replacement parts are no longer available.

The Museum's new tamper
arrived on a truck designed 
for moving rail equipment.

The Museum has been searching for a new tamper for several years and the right opportunity arrived in late May 2022: a machine used in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on the BNSF Railway.  It was completely rebuilt in 2012 and has just 691 hours of service since that rebuilding. It was purchased through Maintenance of Way Equipment Services in Houston, Texas, but was sold "as is" in South Dakota.

The tamper was carefully rolled
off the truck under its own power

The new tamper arrived at the Museum on Wednesday, June 15.  As expected , there were several minor issues: machines are not usually retired in perfect working order.  Some electrical wires were eaten by mice.  There was debris in the fuel tank.  Several switches were dirty or worn and not functioning correctly.  However, the machine was in very good shape overall and after a few hours of work is functional.

A turntable feature allows the
tamper to be jacked and rotated 
180 degrees.

The tamper is a Canron/Tamper Electromatic Mark II ES originally manufactured in 1983 for the Burlington Northern Railroad.  In 2012 it was remanufactured by the BNSF Railway at Brainard, Minnesota to bring it back to original specifications, and to upgrade components that were obsolete.  It features adjustable workheads for tamping turnouts (switches), and a turntable to allow the machine to operate effectively in both directions.  Notably, it features something not yet invented when the old Jackson was produced: the hydraulic squeeze to help consolidate ballast under each tie.  

The model ES features adjustable
work heads for tamping switches

The Mark II has already been out tamping track and is a welcome addition to the collection of maintenance equipment.  While not yet historic, it will help ensure the Museum's heritage railway remains in operation for years to come.

Tamping for a better ride

Many different disciplines are required to prepare for the Museum's operating season.  After a winter shutdown, there is a certain amount of work re-activating the locomotives and coaches, but the bigger effort is performing annual maintenance.  Maintaining track, bridges, and signals require significant resources to inspect, repair and maintain.  Statistically, most railroads each year will invest about 60% of their resources into those three areas.

For the Museum's track and bridges, the last 12 months have been busy.  Substantial reconstruction of bridge 35's east pier, installation of more than 750 ties (including 500 feet of reconstructed track at Snoqualmie Falls) and surfacing of more than a mile of track are among the year's highlights.

During the last few weeks, crews have been changing ties and surfacing track in North Bend.  Surfacing is a slow process that uses a ballast tamper, jacks, and a good set of eyes!  The tamper is a Jackson that was delivered to the Northern Pacific Railway in the 1950s.  Before track tampers were introduced, men with tamping bars performed this work.

Check out the dip in the track in the first photo below, and how Mark S. and Brandon P. made it disappear in the second.  Come up to Snoqualmie and ride the train this coming Saturday, April 4 and check it out for yourself!  First train departs Snoqualmie at 11:30 AM.