Backhoe climbs train car...

Whiskey · Oct 23, 2002

I've looked at this 5 or 6 times, with my mouth hanging open oh my god the eyes see it but the brain is having a hard time beliving what the eyes are telling it

MossRoad · Oct 23, 2002

We have several rail maintenance facilities near here. I've seen those TLBs on top of the gondolas on many occassions. I've wondered how they got them there. Now I'm sorry I know /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

DrDan · Oct 23, 2002

I'll bet his "tilt meter" was pegged! Yes I could not believe it when I saw it. Would like to see a video of it now. I think I want a hoe to play with.

DrDan

njrqs · Oct 23, 2002

Ahhhhhhh

Do we post this under SAFETY as well??

That has made my morning !!

ScottAR · Oct 23, 2002

You called it. the Backhoe stays on top of the car with the extensions on the bucket and outriggers.

That's a Caterpillar... probably a 416.

These shots have been making the rounds on the web for awhile now. Pretty neat, but I wouldn't try it...

kevincook · Oct 23, 2002

That would be a really bad time to blow a hydraulic line.

But it you are going to do it you might as well do it in a CAT.

Steven · Oct 23, 2002

I would like to his face if hydraulic line let go. pretty creative idea, but there must be a better way? open up a door on the bottom and use a converor to load truck.

karmakanic · Oct 23, 2002

When the highway department was rebuilding I30, they had a spur line set up to transport sand and gravel to the batch plant. They had a track hoe up on top of a string of gondolas in the off loading area. It spent the entire job up there, a constant supply of cars underneath it's tracks. It didn't have any outriggers, just stayed on top of the sand/gravel in the car ahead of the one it was emptying. I didn't get to see how it was lifted up there, or down after the job. I assumed a crane.

Somehow I don't think it made it up there they way our hero used. I guess you could call him either a crazy fool or an industrious hero. In Mexico, I suspect, he's seen as more the former then the latter. I just know my hats off to him.

Dave

DrDan · Oct 24, 2002

I think where it would become a necessity is if something was in the gondola that got hard like fertilizer. Otherwise they could open the chutes below.

DrDan