that it can be moved to wherever needed and that existing, but obsolete equip- ment can be recycled at minimal cost. Older boxcars held supplies. Old passen- ger cars became dormitories for work crews. Flat cars held out-sized equip- ment. Other cars became rolling commis- saries; tenders from steam locomotives became water carriers. You get the idea. It works well when being utilized, but what about in-between times? The equipment sits. Yard space is taken up. Maintenance has to be performed whether it is used or not. And, while it was just considered part of the job, there was nothing enticing about a bunk car after a day’s work, no matter how cold it is outside and how warm it is inside. If you’re exciting about reliv- ing your old Army days, it’s great. Oth- erwise, maybe not.
Before we start looking at equipment substitutions today remember one thing; every railroad, large or small, is different. Every one will do things their way, modify equipment to suit their needs, and while in general agree with certain protocols usually cus- tomize equipment to do the job. Look at non-revenue locomotives.
From the earliest days of steam, major facilities had maintenance-of-way numbered power. In some cases it was compartmentalization, in others it was for tax breaks. Whatever the reason, most were rebuilt from standard power for the express purpose of moving dead locomotives around. Today, it is rare to find a diesel loco- motive assigned strictly as a shop goat. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, it’s just not as typical as it once was. There are many reasons, but normally it means a unit is not going to get pulled from a ready track to work around the shop. Instead, it’s going to be prepped for pulling tonnage. A locomotive is usually pulled from the ready track and instead of being as-
NORTH PLATTE: NE; SEPT., 1999
signed to a revenue train, gets assigned as a shop goat. Some railroads still pre- fer this route. The Southern Pacific, for example, would grab any small unit that was in for servicing and “borrow” it for shop duty until its turn in line came due. Examples have included GE 70- tonners, EMD SW1’s and Alco S-6’s. But many railroads have gone another route to move engines and rolling stock around shops and car repair facilities: multi-purpose vehicles such as Track- mobiles and Shuttlewagons.
If you never knew what they were
called, you probably have certainly seen them.
Using a combination of steel wheels and rubber tires, these vehicles are mar- vels of efficiency, and most importantly, when not in use, able to extract them- selves from the track and move else- where. These creatures are never backed into a siding with no way to get out.
And you want options? The list of op- tions these buggies can be equipped with is lengthy. Anything a regular lo- comotive can have on it, these have and more. Well-made and almost inde- structible they are efficient, easy to op- erate, and most importantly, they re- lease a regular locomotive from non-revenue service. Vehicles like these can easily move even the largest dead locomotive or a short cut of cars in and out of the repair shop. Plus, when there is no work, it can easily be shut down and locked up, allowing the operator to do something else. Remember motorized speeders? They can still be found, but even the nicest and newest are being replaced by more efficient, and easier on the kidneys, high- rail vehicles, usually in the form of pick- up trucks with steel wheels in addition to the original rubber ones. These multi-purpose vehicles, once
FILLMORE, CA; MARCH 5, 2012
This Fillmore & Western pickup (above) is equipped with a crew cab and stake bed. Lo- cated about 50 miles northwest of Hollywood, the railroad is often used by film crews, like this one riding in the back of the truck. While it’s not large, this Shuttlewagon model SWX410 Rail Car Mover (below) is in command of a 65-foot ex-Missouri Pacific gondola.
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN
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