Wilmar (the) Tamper - Official Work Thread

[Ed Lecuyer]

Wilmar had it's first day of production tamping, today.  700 track feet tamped.

Photo by Stephen Lennox.

[Bill Baskerville]

Great.  Wilmar will be a great aid in keeping our track in top notch condition.

[John Kokas]

Now is Wilmar just tamping or is he now able to raise and level?  Can it align (left/right) yet?

[Joe Fox]

It can do it all. However we are primarily using it strictly for tamping right now. As it is much faster to have a crew working with the tamper and jacking ahead of it. If the tamper was run by computer like the new Marc tampers, it would be a different story.

[Graham Buxton]

I assume that "If the tamper was run by computer ..." would mean that the computerized tamper would need a laser reference system (one example shown below) pushed along some distance in front of the tamper to allow the computer to "see" vertical and horizontal curves?


Photo credit: https://relaminc.com/equipment/harsco-6700/

[Joe Fox]

Correct. This also does grades, lining curves and tangent (straight) track, etc. They are very high tech machines, and very elaborate. However said machine, even used costs at least $750,000. And then you need someone who knows how to fix it if the computer has a malfunction or breaks down.

[Jason M Lamontagne]

The Harsco tamper had a lot more power than Big Joe.  With that comes a lot more productivity but also the ability to make a big mistake very quickly.  Mainly for that reason we have made a conscious decision to use only the tamping function initially and get good at it. 

The jacking and lining functions work together off a pair of integrated hydraulic jacks.  These cylinders need rebuilding, as do hinged connection points.  The rail clamps do not properly grip our rail.  All in all we face a mixture of mechanical deficiency and significant learning curve before successfully using these functions.  On top of that there is no automated guidance and control system, as Joe points out- exacerbating the chances of error. 

For now we are making significant strides in our immediate goal of preparing the Mountain for service by using the Harsco for simple tamping.  Big Joe couldn’t do what the Harsco is doing now.  The Harsco still needs significant overhaul work, which we plan for after the Mountain is open, and there is shop space to accommodate the work. 

See ya
Jason

[James Patten]

That tamper is a beast of a machine. 

[Bill Reidy]

That tamper is a beast of a machine.

Yet still no cupholder for Dave.

Seriously, I'm glad to see Wilmar in operation with folks qualified to operate it.  I'm glad I (along with Dave) have been able to help by operating Big Joe, but obviously more stringent training and qualification is needed for Wilmar.  I make enough mistakes without the aid of Wilmar to amplify it.

[John McNamara]

Great picture of Wilmar in action! Any chances of sending a copy to the donors?

[Wayne Laepple]

The two people most responsible for the donation of Wilmar to the WW&F have retired from Wilmar Sugar Ltd. I'm not sure to whom a picture would be sent, nor whether the new folks would even be aware that it happened!

[Jeff Schumaker]

Could a photo be sent to the company, with a request that it be forwarded to the two retirees?

Jeff S.

[Joe Fox]

The biggest thing with Wilmar when tamping, is the heads drift left to right. Which requires the operator to pay very close attention to the tamping heads each time you tamp. There are some things in the works to eliminate this and by pinning the heads in a “normal” working position so they won’t drift.

[Bill Reidy]

Mike Fox, Brian Whitney and others were busy today reinstalling and testing the restored cylinders for track lifting/leveling.  A few photos:

Brian (left) and Mike (right) planning the start of the day.


Mike lifting the first cylinder for reinstallation.


After the cylinders were reinstalled, they were tested.  James Patten (left), Cody McFarlane (on board) and Joe Fox (kneeling) look on as testing is underway.