Loram LRV-12 Hodg_0070 7-18-12

7/18/12: An impressive looking LORAM RailVac MoW unit sits on the leads to the Hodgkins GM Yard at Santa Fe Drive.

RAILVAC™ is a unique excavation machine that conveys material through vacuum and airflow. The machine is rail mounted and designed to travel at track speeds while towing up to four fully loaded ballast cars. The combination of a powerful digging arm with twin engines and vacuum pumps makes it capable of excavating compacted ballast, clay, mud, water, sand, and soil. The digging arm can work at distances up to 15 feet from track centerline.
Material is extracted through the suction hose and deposited in the main hopper. The finer dust then runs through a filtration system, removing the dust from the air stream. The filter elements are cleaned automatically by the air counterflow during the routine unloading of the system. A rear swing conveyor, or optional side dumping doors unload material.

Applications
RAILVAC™ excavation applications include:
Cribbing and undercutting mainline mud spots
Removing fouled ballast and debris from tunnels
Cleaning and installing drain tiles and culverts
Cross trenching for cables and pipes
Removing ballast from bridge decks and grade crossings without removing ties or rail
Undercutting switches and diamonds
Excavating contaminated materials from yards and stations
Yard cleaning and reconstruction
Locating and excavating cables without damage
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