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            Effectiveness Of Spot Tamping In Fine-Filled Ballast
      

      
  Document Series
              Research Results


      
  Author
          Federal Railroad Administration


      
Report Number
              RR 22-33

  Office
              RDI-21


      Subject
                    Track


      
  Keywords
              Ballast, spot tamping, ballast settlement, overlift


      

      
      
              
                  
      
              
  Document
              Effectiveness of Spot Tamping in Fine-filled Ballast.pdf (431.18 KB)

      
              As part of ongoing Federal Railroad Administration-funded research examining the behavior of fine-filled ballast when exposed to moisture, Transportation Technology Center, Inc., used the Rainy Section at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing to study the effectiveness of spot tamping in fine-filled ballast. The team conducted this project between 2017 and 2019 as part of a collaborative effort between FRA and the Association of American Railroads. The testing conducted in the Rainy Section showed that increasing the lifts or carrying out an overlift can lengthen the maintenance cycle in fine-filled ballast. The team was also able to take a deeper look into the ballast consolidation phase and compare ballast settlement trends with increases in lateral tie strength from tonnage under speed restrictions.
      
            
      
      
              Last updated: Monday, October 24, 2022 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

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