Jordan Spreaders

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About Jordan Spreaders

This group is for anytype of Jordan spreader

What the moose is to the animal kingdom, the Jordan Spreader is to the railroad. What it lacks in beauty, it more than makes up for in its versatility. Basically, it is used to maintain the railroad right-of-way. The spreader itself has a high glassed-in cab for visibility and its controls are operated by a separate crew. Spreaders are unpowered and require several locomotives to push them. The locomotive also supplies the air required to operate them.

In the winter, it is used as a snowplow. It's wedged front is augmented by spreading its wings via compressed air cylinders. Wings can be extended up to twelve feet on either or both sides.

In warmer weather, the Jordan Spreader is used to spread new rock ballast along the tracks during maintenance work or on the construction of new lines. The spreader is placed behind a string of hopper cars equipped with special bottom doors for ballast work. The hoppers and the spreader are pushed along at a very slow pace by a locomotive. The ballast is unloaded a car at a time and the Spreader, with its plow front and wing blades canted out would smooth and level the ballast along the track.