On-Track Plant - 76401 - Plasser & Theurer Wet Spot Machine

Comments

The following comments have been left on photos of this machine. To reply, just visit one of the photos.

• DR 76401

  4 May 2002 - Kevin Lickers

  did you know this mc was converted(at plasser ealing) from their pbi84 stoneblower developed in the early 90s with BR a forerunner to the pandrol jackson mcs.

• DR 76401

  26 August 2003 - Barrie Puleston

  Yes, this machine was converted from Plassers PBI'84. The PBI stoneblower was built in 1984, (hence PBI'84) and was developed through the late 80s into the 90s. It underwent its transformation into the Wet Spot Machine during 1997. It began working on wet spots on the Wessex region in the spring of 1998.

• DR 76401

  10 March 2005 - s.p.mayatt

  Was,nt this the original PBI 84, plassers attempt at a stoneblower. After rusting in West Ealing for 10 years it got converted into a Gopher/Wet Bed machine. ???

• DR 76401

  14 March 2005 - Ben Williams

  Yes it was converted from 80100 I think.

• DR 76401

  18 March 2007 - ian saunders

  so what does this machine actually do, does it just pinpoint wetspot or does it actually repair the wetspots

• DR 76401

  18 March 2007 - Dave Shell

  I'm guessing it repairs wetspots by dropping ballast fines - looks like a couple of ballst drop shutes just behind the closest cab.

• DR 76401

  18 March 2007 - Midnight Cowboy

  In a rough manner, it sucks out the wet beds and replaces the mud with fresh ballast.

• DR 76401

  19 March 2007 - Kevin Morrison

  Has anyone seen this machine work

• DR 76401

  25 June 2007 - dan

  what does a wet spot machine do?

• DR 76401

  25 June 2007 - hi

  its meant to get rid of the wet beds but this one is not very good at it the gofer is better

• DR 76401

  25 June 2007 - RRV Cowboy

  apart from make aload of noise not a lot heard a rumour at the weekend that having taken over amec colas also own all ex amec tampers etc

• DR 76401

  26 June 2007 - hi

  this is true colas have taken over amec spie but seco rail will be running the plant and freight ,seco rail are part of colas group.

  don't know if seco will be taking all amec's tampers regulators as they have there own machines in france and amec's machines are operated by balfour's so who knows

• DR 76401

  27 June 2007 - RRV Cowboy

  operated by amec/colas maintained by balfours apprantley amec have a safety case to operate through the channel tunnel and colas didnt one of the main reasons for the buy/sale

• DR 76401

  8 September 2007 - Briar Hill Instructor

  Well what do you know when it was origianlly PBI it was tested on the Marylebone to Aylesbury lines and many a good time I had working her

• DR 76401

  26 September 2007 - Kevin

  Seen this machine today at Woking looks like it n ot moved in a long time with the amount of weeds in front of it

• DR 76401

  27 September 2007 - RRV Cowboy

  Amec / NWR dont really use this anymore infact aint seen it for ages takes ages to do the job not only that makes one hell of a noise whilst doing it and tends to lob ballast at nearby people cars our houses last i herad was being used for training route knowledge etc

• DR 76401

  27 September 2007 - RRV Cowboy

  Amec / NWR dont really use this anymore infact aint seen it for ages takes ages to do the job not only that makes one hell of a noise whilst doing it and tends to lob ballast at nearby people cars our houses last i herad was being used for training route knowledge etc

• DR 76401

  5 December 2007 - Dick

  Hello Dan. when I saw your question, "what does a wet spot machine do?", I thought I may find an answer to my question, which occurred to me yesterday coming in to Waterloo from Portsmouth harbour when I spotted a large yellow on track hunk of railway hardware bearing the words "WET SPOT MACHINE. So please can anyone tell me, what is a wet spot and what does the above machine do to a wet spot? Thanks

• DR 76401

  5 December 2007 - Ben Williams

  I'm getting deja vu here! - but it seems it was discussed in the comments under the other photo:

  http://www.ontrackplant.com/photo/76401a

  Ben

• DR 76401

  20 February 2008 - Ben Williams

  Now moved to Eastleigh works for storage.

• DR 76401

  18 May 2009 - Míceál

  Recently I got a tour round the OTPD at Rugby and was told that this machine was too costly to man so I'm guessing it needed more people to operate it than a tamper and therefore the cost per shift in relation to the productivity rate was not worthwhile. It has now been partly cannibalised as of 30th April 2009

• DR 76401

  18 May 2009 - sledgebloke

  This is not like a tamper in the respect that, if I remember corectly, it only has one tamping bank that moves across the machine to do each rail in turn. It was designed to do a specific job on a small area of track, and if Network Rail are not prepared to pay the cost of operating it or don't ask for that job to be done then it will have no work.

• DR 76401

  20 May 2009 - Me

  With the amount of wet beds out on the network now you would think this machine would be never be stood stil.I have never seen so many wet beds in my 20 yrs on the railway

• DR 76401

  21 May 2009 - sam burke

  what is a wet bed?

• DR 76401

  21 May 2009 - David French

  A patch of track with ballast that's clogged up with dirt and dust and is poorly drained. Water accumulates and turns the lot to mush. With each passing train the sleepers pump up and down because there's little or no support beneath them.

• DR 76401

  21 May 2009 - RRV COWBOY

  apart from make a load of noise and throw ballast about it didnt really do a very good job i remember seeing working one night at selhurst it must have smashed a good few car windows hence maybe the reason its not being used no one really had a good thing to say about it

• DR 76401

  26 August 2009 - paul

  What the wet spot machine does is break up the wet bed then sucks up the the dirty ballast the wet spot is supported by a TRAMM which then re-ballasts an the wet spot re-tamps the renewed beds but the wet spot is not a tamper because it can not lift the track it can only squeeze .That is the wet spot machine it can be seen at Horsham sidings rusting away which is quite sad

• DR 76401

  26 August 2009 - mushroom25

  The wet spot machine has been at Rugby since April 2008.

• DR 76401

  26 August 2009 - barry blackberry

  i thought it was still at horsham too behind the bushes

• DR 76401

  26 August 2009 - Nick Tompkin

  Was this machine actually ever stored at Horsham? It was stored at Woking for years prior to moving briefly to Eastleigh and then to Rugby. I cannot remember it being at Horsham in the last 10 years.

• DR 76401

  26 August 2009 - Ben Williams

  I don't think it was either - definitely at Rugby now though.

• DR 76401

  27 August 2009 - barry blackberry

  whats the one at horsham then?

• DR 76401

  27 August 2009 - Nick Tompkin

  I'm sorry but I am becoming totally lost by this!

  The only stock remaining stored at Horsham presently are the former Chipman Weedkiller train vans, CC99014 and CC99015 which are becoming rapidly overgrown by vegetation. There are also a couple of road cranes which have been there years. The only other OTP regularly present are MPV's which are based there.

  A few items of stored OTP (cranes) and assorted wagons and departmental coaches were here until a couple of years back until the yard was rebuilt for use on the Horsham resignalling scheme around 2005. They were all removed or scrapped on site.

  I can remember no tamper or similar being stored at Horsham long term for at least the last 10 years.

• DR 76401

  7 July 2010 - Kevin Lickers.

  Did you know I once rode a Raleigh Budgie (girls bicycle) along the roof of this machine when it was parked in York yard (Leeman Road)? Riding over the air-con 'hump' of the centre cab certainly gave me a thrill!

• DR 76401

  7 July 2010 - Barry John Cooper

  Did you really want the world to know that?

• DR 76401

  22 September 2010 - Ben Williams

  Apparently the Wet Spot is about to meet the Hot Spot - due to be dispatched from Rugby to Kingsbury for scrap in the next few days.

• DR 76401

  23 September 2010 - LM

  Yup, is booked in for a meeting with acetylene very soon.

  Shame, as it was the test bed for 2 prototype projects during it's life, but in it's current state it is no use.

  RIP

  73700, 80100, 76401......

• DR 76401

  24 September 2010 - sam burke

  one for dave shelll if he gets in quick?

• DR 76401

  24 September 2010 - Dave Shell - Northumbria Rail Ltd.

  Probably a bit out of my price range at the moment Sam, plus it's at a bit too specialised so probably wouldn't be of that much use in the heritage / private line side of things.

• DR 76401

  14 October 2010 - Dan Adkins

  I did wonder what the rusty orange and yellow thing I saw there was! Can add a sighting now.

• DR76401

  30 November 2010 - Dave Shell - Northumbria Rail Ltd.

  Someones nicked the BMACs!

• DR76401

  1 December 2010 - mushroom25

  .....and the webasto heaters, the NRN radios, the work lights, the engine - in fact pretty much anything that could be unbolted.

• DR76401

  1 December 2010 - sam burke

  and a window wiper blade!!!!!!!11