Waking up in Geelong

Right now works are underway across Melbourne to remove level crossings from Melbourne’s rail network, resulting in busier car parks as commuters try to avoid rail replacement bus services. However the vehicle I found in the temporary Blackburn station car park takes the cake.

It’s a hi-rail excavator – a piece of standard heavy construction equipment, fitted with a set of fold down flanged wheels that allows the machine to roll along railway tracks.

During major trackwork projects, you can find hi-rail excavators all over the tracks.

Rail wheels make moving to the work site easy.

And they can drag a trolley of equipment if needed.

With a standard bucket fitted, the machines can be used to dig up existing level crossings.

Or dig up ballast beside the tracks.

Heavy concrete railway sleepers can be moved using a forklift attachment.

But a specialised claw attachment allows eight sleepers to be moved at a time.

Once the sleepers are beside the tracks, an excavator with a tie inserter attachment can place them into the tracks.

Then freshly ballast can be added.

And to finish the job is another specialised accessory – the ballast tamper attachment.

The metal tines are pushed into the ballast and then pressed together repeatedly, packing the freshly laid ballast around the newly laid tracks.

Can you imagine having to do the same tasks with just a pick and shovel?

Footnote

Here is a video of a hi-rail excavator rolling along the then-new Regional Rail Link tracks at Tarneit – they can zip along rather fast if need be!

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