Passenger Trains > MBTA Replacing stick rail with CWR

Major track work along the MBTA's Fitchburg line is wrapping up after a few years of station building at Littleton, South Acton, and Wachusett, double tracking between Willow Rd Ayer and South Acton, installing new signal/interlocking at CPF-Camp, CPF-WL, CPF-Derby, CPF-333/-334/-335, building a new layover yard at Westminster, and uprgading exisiting track with new 132 pound CWR. On Friday 9/16/16, MBTA track crews were replacing the last few instances of stick rail between the Ayer T station and CPF-AY, a distance of less than a half mile. A few CWR lengths had been dropped west of the Ayer tower several weeks back and had to be cut to specific lengths before installing. Once the inbound T train passed, the cut rail lengths were then dragged to the installation site. 

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Wow - interesting shots for TO readers, thanks for posting - but IMHO an amazing lack of PPE (personal protective equipment) for this type of activity as compared to what any Class 1's MW departments would require.  I noted a similar appearance in the recent Trains article on T subway maintenance.  Would be interested in their safety stats (and claim payouts) as compared to the industry as a whole.

That's quite a 'snake' in the ballast.

bad enough turn long strings on tangent but try turning that upright on a curve ... it can turn into a project if you don't know what you're doing ... if you try to turn it upright from overhead you'll be there all day ... the tongs will will just keep coming off ... you gptta drop the boom down the to the rail head and actually pull it sideways as you lift otherwise the rail tongs will keep slippin off ...