Maintenance of way
Maintenance of way (often abbreviated as M of Way, MOW or MW) refers to the maintenance of railroad rights of way. It can include procedures from the initial grading of the right of way to its general upkeep and eventual dismantling.
Maintenance equipment
As with any construction or maintenance work, M of Way work has its own set of specialized equipment.- Ballast gondolas and hoppers
- Ballast regulator
- Clearance car
- Crane
- Crew car
- Ditcher
- Dynamometer car
- Flanger
- Handcar
- HiRail truck
- Inspection locomotive (obsolete, replaced by speeders and hirail trucks)
- Pile driver
- Rail grinder
- Rotary snowplow
- Scale test car
- Speeder
- Spiker
- Spreader
- Tamper
- Tie inserter
- Tool car
- Track geometry car
- Weed sprayer
Maintenance jobs
Specific maintenance functions are carried out by maintenance of way workers. On modern railroads, the workers are often associated with a particular piece of equipment, but in the past, they held jobs that weren't always obvious from their titles. The following maintenance jobs are specific to the railroad industry:- Bridge inspector
- Gandy dancer
- Section gang
- Signal maintainer
- Track inspector