The museum has a small and dedicated track crew that works tireless to maintain and install track around the Museum. One aspect of rail maintenance/installation is tamping ballast. This can be done manually with bars or hand power tools, but it is very labor-intensive and time consuming - and with a small track crew this is not the most valuable use of time. To aid in track maintenance/installation Museum's maintenance of way division is looking to acquire, with your help, a ballast tamper.
A ballast tamper is a railway maintenance machine that uses vibrating tools to tamp and squeeze the track ballast under railroad ties. This machine packs the ballast and locks it together to create a sound foundation for the track to maintain a level surface and alignment of the track for smooth train and streetcar operation. The machine is more powerful and faster than hand tamping creating less maintenance issues in the future and reducing manual labor for the volunteers. Furthermore, our 1965 Ballast Tamper is on longer supported and has extend break down periods preventing maintenance and capital projects from moving forward until repairs are complete. The new ballast tamper will be more reliable and parts are readily available within the industry.