How do ththey put a train on the tracks?

Question

Do they make them on the track or do they put them onthe track, if so how.

Answer 1

This depends on what you're describing. If it's a new freight car, engine, or whatever, chances are it's built in sub-assemblies and lowered by crane onto a set of "trucks" or "bogies"--depends on where you live--which are already on the rails.

The same concept applies to, say, a caboose or van that is being put on more-or-less permanent display. I saw a video of such a caboose being put on display rails in Boonville, Missouri. The trucks/wheel assemblies were put on the rails first, then the crane lowered the body onto the wheels. As you might guess, there was a lot of jockeying to make sure everything was in the right place.

Still another scenario might be at the site of a wreck or derailment. In this case, I still believe the cranes would set the wheels and trucks on the rails, then lower the bodies as before, with one major exception. If cars were too badly damaged to set on the rails themselves, the damaged cars would be lowered onto flat cars or gondolas (I've seen, and seen pictures of, such combinations) or even truck trailers!

Your local library may have some ideas or books about this kind of construction. Sometimes books like B&O Power and C&O Power, also the book about Norfolk and Western's A-class steam engine (A: Mercedes of Steam, I think) have photo-histories of how steam locomotives were built.

Hope this was of some benefit to you.

Answer 2

An oft asked question, actually. Locomotives are usually built upside down, doing the work that will be under the loco first. After all is done below the frame, it is turned over and the other elements of the locomotive are added, such as prime mover, air equipment, electrical, etc.  You wind up with 200 tons of upright power when finished.

Re-railing derailed equipment is a different story. If a car has dropped at set of wheels, if minor and remaining close to the rails, blocking material, consisting primarily of wood blocks and chains, can be placed to "walk" the derailed wheels back on the rail. There are also two types (the "Budda" and the "butterfly") of large steel devices called "frogs" that may be necessary to walk a heavier car on, or even walk a locomotive truck back on.

If a car's truck has been turned, yet still near the rail, as the car is pulled on, a "slewing" cable is attached to turn the truck as it moves, with the other end tied of to a tractor or some other kind of heavy equipment to align the wheels to the rail so the truck will "throw on."

When cars are semi-scattered, a hi-rail, 200 ton crane is employed when heavy lifting is needed. Though there are still some steam derricks left, their use is infrequent. I have seen these new wonders suck an SD-45 right out of the mud, one end at a time.

When there is a major pile up with cars scattered all over the place, they bring in the big Cats and they just shove the stuff out of the way to get the line open. These cars are usually cut up for scrap on the spot.

Freight cars are built then set upon the trucks, with passenger equipment usually built in place.

Answer 3

They build the tracks underneath the finished train.

Answer 4

They use a heavy duty crane.

Answer 5

A very huge crane lifts the under carriage onto tracks.  They then build the rest of the train on top of this.  Should  train derail, they get a big crane and set it back on the track.

Answer 6

they will put them in the track using a crane one by one and they will attach it