The museum has a small and dedicated track crew that works tirelessly to maintain and install track around the Museum. One aspect of rail maintenance and installation is tamping ballast. This can be done manually with bars or hand power tools; however, it is extremely labor-intensive and time consuming. This can also be done mechanically with a ballast tamper. A ballast tamper is a railway maintenance machine that uses vibrating tools to tamp and squeeze the track ballast under railroad ties. This machine packs the ballast and locks it together to create a sound foundation for the track to maintain a level surface and alignment of the track for smooth train and streetcar operation.
Our current ballast tamper was manufactured in 1965, breaks down often, and is needing to be replaced. So, as 2023 draws to a close, it’s Time to Tamp it Down to Ballast Tamper Number 208!
The total we need to raise is $41,950. For this year-end appeal, there are five levels of giving:
● $4,195 Tamper Titan
● $ 2,500 Ballast Master
● $1,250 Ballast Guardian
● $ 500 Maintenance Crew
● $208 Tamp Team
All donations are tax-deductible.