Spreader (railroad)

Spreader
Manufacturer: O.F. Jordan Company
Year(s) of manufacture: 1900-

A spreader is a type of maintenance equipment designed to spread or shape ballast profiles. The spreader spreads gravel along the railroad ties. The various ploughs, wings and blades of specific spreaders allow them to remove snow, build banks, clean and dig ditches, evenly distribute gravel, as well as trim embankments of brush along the side of the track.[1][2][2] The operation of the wings was once performed by compressed air, and later hydraulics.[3] Besides the MoW-operation spreaders are also used in open cast mines to clean the tracks from overburden tipped from dump cars.

History

Jordan Spreader

Oswald F. Jordan was a Canadian road master who worked in the Niagara, Ontario area on the Canada Southern Railway, a branch of the New York Central Railway. Jordan designed the Jordan spreader and supervised a crew at the St. Thomas Canada Southern shop as early as 1900. He formed his own company, O.F. Jordan Company, and continued construction of Jordan Spreaders.[2]

In 2001, the Jordan Spread was inducted into the North America Railway Hall of Fame in the "Local:Technical Innovation" category.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Welcome to Saskrailmuseum.org". Jordan Spreader 402871. September 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "BRS Canadian Pacific Railway Jordan Spreader No. 402818". September 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
  3. ↑ "1920's - Railway Jordan Spreader Controls". Yahoo!. S2008. Retrieved 2008-10-03. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ↑ The North America Railway Hall of Fame inductee: The Jordan Spreader

External links

Hydraulics used to open and close wings