Cleaning the shoulders

The rotary scoop at the right in the photo above removes the rocks from the shoulder of the railroad track, then cleans and sorts it, with the rocks replaced in a smoothed shoulder in the center. The machine is operated by a person in the cab at the left.
The rotary scoop at the right in the photo above removes the rocks from the shoulder of the railroad track, then cleans and sorts it, with the rocks replaced in a smoothed shoulder in the center. The machine is operated by a person in the cab at the left.

Railroad equipment working its way through the area last week was performing the task of shoulder cleaning, according to Justin Parks, superintendent of the railroad contracting crew.

The huge machine scoops up the gravel from the shoulder along the track, cleans it of mud, dirt and other debris. The cleaned rocks are then put back and smoothed out.

This trip started in St. Louis and is working its way west. The crew makes coast to coast shoulder cleaning trips.

photo

Chris Graeber and Kyle Uselton