An American folksong states," I've been working on the railroad, all the livelong day...just to pass the time away."  There were approximately 150 Union Pacific crew members, comprising a "Super-tie Gang," that did anything but pass the time in Morrison, IL.

This large group of laborers consists of two tie gangs and one surfacing gang.  They work back-to-back to replace the rotted ties and straighten and level the rails.  This "double" gang strategy results in 100% of the work being completed on site, before crews move forward.

On Friday, July 2, 2010, UP Traffic Control Supervisor Clifton Trussell, of Oklahoma, described the general maintenance work being done by his tie gangs on the UP line.  Repair was begun in DeWitt, IA, and will cover about 80 miles of track, including work in Morrison, and continue to Franklin Grove, IL, east of Dixon, IL.

Then, the heavy equipment will be placed on a work train and transferred to Fairchild, WI.  Repair work continues there until December Trussell stated.  Because the rock bed, called "ballast," contains air and moisture, freezing temperatures prohibit laboring through the winter.

UP will spend over $1 million on this effort.  They are currently "under budget and ahead of schedule," stated one of the machinists who stands ready to repair the railway equipment.  Three gangs of three maintenance men replace hoses, mend oil leaks, and fix engines and hydraulics on site.  Their trucks are like a traveling machine shop.  This strategy keeps the work moving efficiently, also.

Thursday, June 24, was the start date for track repairs in Morrison.  Trussell estimated the crew would be at the Sawyer Road crossing on Saturday, July 3, which is the end of the line for local for repairs.  "Fifty miles of track have been repaired," he estimated.

The TRIPP machine pulls iron spikes with a large magnet; these are melted and recycled.  Later, it will insert new spikes into the replaced ties.  The railroad company uses strong oak ties soaked in creosote in order to increase longevity; they sell used ties to landscapers.  Trussell stated there are "500 to 1200 ties per mile of track."  Not all of them need replacing, of course.

According to The Department of Land Resources and Environmental Science, "Railroad ties are manufactured and treated with creosote to stand up to weathering and the pressure under rail lines.  Ties might last for 25 to 50 years on the track before they are recycled to different uses based on their condition. Some of these ties find their way into the landscaping business and into people’s backyards as retaining walls and borders for flowerbeds."

The TRIPP puts metal plates in place, spreading and squeezing anchors to keep the ties from moving.  It aligns the ties to ensure they are level.  A TKO machine does the same tasks, but is a different size.

This DynaCat is one of the largest on the UP circuit.  It hammers ballast and scoots it forward to the front of the machine, squeezing it under and around ties.  It adjusts the rails to ensure they are level and do not exhibit too much rise.  This fine-tuning manages the "line and lift" of the rails.  Then, the DynaCat "back drags the stabilizer" to keep the rails in place.

During the week, this machine was seen slowly traveling back and forth between the closed Orange and Base Street railroad crossings.

The work was completed on time.  Trussell's Union Pacific repair gangs are working on the railroad all the livelong day, headed to Franklin Grove.

Photos by Marta Bender