I have often wondered how they get a machine up onto rail cars to unload them like this. A friend of mine sent me a series of photos showing one way to do it.
In your first picture machines like that are generally put on with a ramp and simply hop between cars with their long tracks. The second is more interesting, it's a Herzog Cartopper, they have a video on their web site at http://www.herzogcompanies.com/rrservices/cartopper.php. I never would have thought of that, but they sure did!
I remember the first time ever seeing something similar done. My first thought was, not me! Second, was wondering of any mechanical, or hydraulic failure during the exercise... Boxcab E50
Y'know .. the more I look at the back-hoe loading itself photos, the more I'm thinking this is a Photoshop production. The reason(s) being: 1. Why would a back-hoe be loaded into a bottom dump hopper car? 2. Bottom dump hopper cars have braces and segments inside of the car; 3. How would it 'unload' the hopper car once in it? It can't turn around! 4. And if it did somehow unload the car ... how would it get out? 5. Look at the pronounced shadow of the hopper car and compare it to the 'shadow' under the back-hoe. I donno .. is this an April fool joke? LOL
No, check out the video at the Herzog site listed above. They show one unloading aggregate from a bottom dump hopper and mounting cars in the manner shown.
I've seen this done, so if it's a photoshop they wasted their time. You can't just dump a bottom dump car out onto the tracks or you'll have a big, hard to get to mess on your hands. The backhoe gets out the same way it got in and doesn't need to turn around. Incidentally, I don't think the track-hoe in the big photo could do this manuever. Although I haven't seen it in action, I think they have one near downtown Dallas like this that climbs back up on a platform that kind looks like a miniature intermodal crane that straddles the tracks. I'll need to look closer to see exactly how it works next time I get by there.
Ive done that backhoe thing. Its not as bad as it looks. We had a hydraulic winch to pull ya foward as you pushed with the hoe. Which helped. Ive also crab walked jimbos on and off gons which is trickey. I had a guy get one unclamped and sort of like,half fallen and couldnt get up. I had to reset it wile he cleaned out hid shorts. I derailed a balast regulator too once on the ramp car.... at night. Becouse one of the spanners between cars was set wrong. I also unloaded this "excavator looking thing on a RR carrage frame" machine off a drop deck trailer and it broke through floor. I really thought it was going on its side with me in it. But I was married to a red headed postal worker once. That was the colsest I ever came to really getting hurt.
If you look closely, you can see the support brackets to allow the backhoe to "walk" mounted on the front bucket and the rear outriggers.
