Can you identify?

slothmeister

slothmeister

slothmeister

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Joined
21 Feb 2006
Posts
1,644
Location
Southampton, UK
Hi guys,
Just past the end of my garden i have a railway track that serves the fawley oil refinary, so don't get many trains going past during the day, about one every 2 hours.

However about 6 months ago and last night there has been something going along the tracks in the middle of the night that sounds like it belongs in 'war of the worlds' or transformers. This thing has lights all over it and moves along incrediably slowly, it stops every metre and screeches then the loud sound of crunching grinding metal, before moving on another metre etc. It seems to be automated as i can't see any workman walking along side or anything.

Now i know it's checking the track but what's it actually doing?
 
It'll be one of those machines that checks the track is straight and that the individual pieces of rail line up evenly, I think it also digs out the sides to make sure that the supports are in place properly.

Saw something about it on Extreme Machines on the Discovery Channel, or similar.
 
Aye I have heard of those, though I thought that they were also heavy enough to change the track shape in moderation?

Either that or Astrotrain has got lost lolz I really gotta stop thinking about Transformers..
 
I think the above post is right - I saw one go through a station once, they have flashing lights on the bottom to check the track or something and make a lot of noise!

Rich
 
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