Don't worry PRSL we got it covered, in most cases we have to dump heavy as the track structure require's it, we have found that dumping heavy with the tie is the best option.. instead of having to come back even after the smallest of lifting by the tamper.. you may see some of the action in the picture's, but you don't see all of it and occassionally the machines work ahead of us and sometimes behind.. it can be a pain to have to clear each other, but we time the movements to coordinate with lunch and break and maintenance and loading. We would love to have ballast at closer locations but the nearest road would require a 4X4 and I don't think we could get a semi and trailer into Lava.. As far as the tie goes, we have dumped probably close to 15 miles this year and have not had a single derailment or over heated brass bearing.. We have close clearance's trackside and I like how the tie works better as being narrow gauge there is not much clearance under the cars.. I have been on the C&T for 18 years now and have logged just about 100,000 miles, I know where every switch, cattle guard, culvert and steel pepsi can is... we travel slow and have a crew of myself "a Engineer" a Fireman and another Engineer on the ballast dumping train, we trust each other and know exactly what to do and how to watch out for each other. Now as for Cinders being used for ballast, over the last couple of years I have noticed a change in either the quality or density of the ash our locomotives produce, but it is not as sturdy as it used to be! Cinder ash I dumped with drop bottom gondolas two years ago is now just a bunch of worthless sand and it allows a persons foot to sink 4 or 5 inches into it as you walk along the tracks and the overflow valve's on the locomotives wash it away real easily.. I would prefer it if we never use that stuff under the tie's. I know we may do things different on the C&T compare to other railroads, but it's what gets the job done!
