CSX Ballast Regulator at Work - Maintenance of Way on the N&D Branch in Athens

A CSX ballast regulator is at work on the N&D Branch in Athens, Alabama. The main line (S&NA North) is the track next to the branch.
The ballast regulator evenly distributes the ballast to the correct profile. Notice how this machine is changed with each pass, and the operator can make adjustments to avoid things like switch machines. The ballast regulator here is working behind a tamper, which disturbs the ballast distribution.
The N&D Branch is a remnant of the original railroad through Athens, named after the Nashville & Decatur Rail Road. The branch in Athens is only a few miles of track, but it serves an industrial park in Athens and is regularly switched by a local from Decatur. The current main from Athens to Brentwood, Tennessee was competed just before the U.S. entered World War One. The old N&D from where the branch ends north of Athens to the south side of Pulaski, TN was abandoned in the 1980s.
July 12, 2024
©2024 Bryan Turner