| Here is an image depicting a Pennsylvania Railroad ballast-cleaning operation using one of its Brownhoist Ballast Cleaners, c. 1953. This is actually the far-end of the operation: the Brownhoist machine (not pictured at the right) digs out dirty inter-track ballast, shakes the dirt off, backfills cleaned ballast, and then transports the dirt to empty hopper cars by means of motorized conveyer belts placed upon the hoppers. The photographer's name, the date, and the location are not recorded. |