Miscellaneous Equipment.

Miscellaneous Equipment.

a. Cranes. The movement of cranes over railroad trackage shall be conducted with

extreme caution. Cranes usually have a shorter distance between trucks and track loading is more

concentrated than with most railcars. Thus, care shall be taken on track with a lesser class rating

that may be adequate for other loads. The boom of a crane may exceed normal railcar

plate/clearance envelope dimensions and a crane shall be handled as a high wide load with all

potential clearance problems considered before the movement. When possible, cranes should be

moved with the boom trailing so as to minimize accident risk if the boom swings outward. Cranes

shall not be moved in excess of their rated speeds. If the crane is not being moved under its own

power, drive train issues shall be resolved prior to the movement. All railroad cranes shall be

properly weight tested and certified in accordance with NAVFAC P-307 before putting into

service.

b. Car Movers. Car movers are vehicles that can operate on the rail or roadway. When

on the rail they are supported by both small steel flanged wheels and rubber tires. The rubber tires

are used for tractive effort and braking. All car movers have a coupler for coupling to railcars and

some are also capable of operating the air brakes on the coupled railcars. See Figure 2-17 for an

example of a car mover.

Car movers shall be operated as a locomotive and shall not be placed on any track until

permission is granted from the dispatcher. The number of cars moved at one time shall not

exceed the rated capacity of the car mover and in no case shall exceed what can be safely stopped.

Care shall be taken at any signalized crossings as the car mover may not activate the crossing

signals. The dispatcher shall be notified immediately after the car mover is clear of the track.

c. Hy-Rails. Hy-rails are vehicles used for both rail and roadway operation. Anything

from a passenger car or a pickup truck to a large crane can be outfitted with hy-rail attachments.

When on the rail, guidance is provided by small steel flanged wheels. Propulsion and braking are

achieved either through the rubber tires or the steel wheels, depending on the hy-rail design. See

Figure 2-18 for an example of a vehicle equipped with hy-rail attachments.

Hy-rails shall not be placed on any track until permission is granted from the dispatcher. Care

shall be taken at any signalized crossings as the hy-rail may not activate the crossing signals. The

dispatcher shall be notified immediately after the hy-rail is clear of the track.

d. Other Rail Equipment. In addition to the above equipment, there are other pieces of

equipment which move over track. Examples include: track maintenance motor car, man-over-

wheels (MOW) car, gang car, spotter car, push car, tamper, tie inserter, brush cutter, maintenance

speedswing, handpowered track maintenance equipment, etc.

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