What is this?

[RichardK]

 

[MrEd]

UP track inspection car.

 

[BCL]

This is for the newer version:

http://www.uprr.com/newsinfo/releases/capital_investment/2005/1216_ec5.shtml

Union Pacific Unveils $8.5 Million State-of-the-art Track Inspection Vehicle
Omaha, Neb., December 16, 2005 – Union Pacific Railroad today unveiled its new $8.5 million state-of-the-art track inspection vehicle, EC-5, that will continue to enhance track safety with technology.

Union Pacific now owns two self-propelled track geometry inspection vehicles designed to perform a variety of electronic track inspections at speeds of up to 70 mph. A three-person crew operates the EC-5. It performs inspections six days a week. The vehicle even has a full-size kitchen so meals can be prepared while on the go. In a year, the two geometry vehicles will test miles of track equivalent to more than five times around the earth's equator.

The EC-5 was built in Linz, Austria, by Plasser & Theurer. Ninety feet long, the vehicle has 11 computer systems that gather data from various types of lasers measuring track surface or level, rail wear and tunnel measurements. The on-board computers also use Global Positioning Satellite systems to accurately record and report the location of variances for accurate repairs. Track maintenance crews follow the inspection vehicle and make repairs as needed when a track defect is found. The real-time data recorded by the EC-5 also is used in scheduling track improvement projects.

Full kitchen huh?

 

[RichardK]

This car was in Union Station Dallas and was connected to an engine with some type of flat car between. There have been planned service disruptions on the Texas Eagle route between Longview and Fort Worth in recent weeks. It looks like the track work had progressed into Union Station. The tracks behind this car have concrete ties and the track ahead is still wood.

This car appears to be self propelled. I was not sure what it's actual function is.

 

[BCL]

This car was in Union Station Dallas and was connected to an engine with some type of flat car between. There have been planned service disruptions on the Texas Eagle route between Longview and Fort Worth in recent weeks. It looks like the track work had progressed into Union Station. The tracks behind this car have concrete ties and the track ahead is still wood.
This car appears to be self propelled. I was not sure what it's actual function is.

I couldn't find info on the EC-4, but the EC-5 has 2 625 HP diesel engines and a top speed of 70 MPH.

It's got a bunch of measuring/recording devices including lasers used to measure track geometry and the amount of wear.

 

[zepherdude]

I want one of those! That is so cool! 8.5 million huh? Maybe Ill wait till they come down a bit!

 

[BCL]

I want one of those! That is so cool! 8.5 million huh? Maybe Ill wait till they come down a bit!

Wouldn't a used private coach car be more reasonably priced? You could even get Amtrak to pull it along.

 

[railiner]

It looks like a variation of the long-used Sperry Rail Service vehicles that are contracted to any railroad to search for internal flaws in the rails utilizing ultra-sound technology.

Not sure if this vehicle does that also, or not....the caption does not specifically mention that....

 

[RampWidget]

I want one of those! That is so cool! 8.5 million huh? Maybe Ill wait till they come down a bit!

Wouldn't a used private coach car be more reasonably priced? You could even get Amtrak to pull it along.

Some RRs still do use locomotive-hauled conventional pasenger equipment, extensively modified, for the same purpose. NS, AFAIK, has one, as does CSX. The CSX car travels as a two-car train along with a power-kitchen car. Both NS & CSX run them with their own locomotives and crews, because they test freight-only routes as well as Amtrak routes.

Edit: typo

 

[RampWidget]

It looks like a variation of the long-used Sperry Rail Service vehicles that are contracted to any railroad to search for internal flaws in the rails utilizing ultra-sound technology.Not sure if this vehicle does that also, or not....the caption does not specifically mention that....

Hard to tell. Usually track geometry vehicles and rail detector test cars (such as Sperry cars) use very different test equipment and the RRs have found it more practical to separate the two testing functions (track geometry measurement and rail detection).

 

[railiner]

It looks like a variation of the long-used Sperry Rail Service vehicles that are contracted to any railroad to search for internal flaws in the rails utilizing ultra-sound technology.Not sure if this vehicle does that also, or not....the caption does not specifically mention that....

Hard to tell. Usually track geometry vehicles and rail detector test cars (such as Sperry cars) use very different test equipment and the RRs have found it more practical to separate the two testing functions (track geometry measurement and rail detection).

Your're probably correct, but it seems like they could save a lot of expense if they could combine both functions into one vehicle, adding another crewmember or two if necessary to perform the other function simultaneously. Even if they ran two separate cars as part of one 'train'..