The steam shovel can be operated continuously throughout the year in all kinds of weather, though operations are often suspended in extremely cold weather. When working in cold weather the face of the bank sometimes freezes during the night to the depth of 3 to 6 ins., but this crust is easily broken in the morning by a few small charges of powder, and then the material can be excavated as easily as at any other season.
In freezing weather the floors of the cars should be sprinkled with brine just before loading; the brine is kept in barrels at the head of the machine, and one man using an ordinary garden sprinkling can is detailed for the work. This prevents the material from freezing to the floor of the car for three to four hours, and allows it to slip off readily when the plow is put in operation. No train should be left standing over night without unloading. The brine will not prevent freezing for this length of time, and to unload one car of the frozen stuff requires a day's labor of four to six men.
Distributing the Material After Unloading.--In widening embankments for side tracks, double track, yard and station grounds, etc., the material is unloaded, as described above, forming a ridge on both sides of the track if unloaded with the center plow, or on one side of the track only if unloaded with the side plow. This material is sometimes leveled off by hand, a very slow and expensive job, but generally it is done with a leveler or spreader, Figs. 93 to 96.
In the Harris & Carter spreader, Figs. 93 and 94, the car body is cut away between the trucks to receive the two wings which level or spread the material. One or both wings can be used, and they can be raised and lowered to adjust them to any height of new embankment wanted. They will spread the material for a distance of 3 ft. from the rail. When shipping the spreader over the road the wings are drawn up by a hand windlass, revolving about hinges fixed to the braces under the floor of the car, as shown in Fig. 94. In this position the clearance is the same as that of an ordinary passenger car.
The Edson spreader, Figs. 95 and 96, has only one wing, attached to an ordinary flat car, and arranged to raise and lower to adjust it to any height of new embankment wanted. The wheel, A, bears against the head of the rail, forming a brace where one is most needed, and greatly assists in preventing a derailment when hard or tenacious materials are suddenly encountered. The wing, braces, windlass, etc., are so constructed that they can be readily removed from the car, thereby restoring it to general service on completion of the work in hand. This spreader is used mostly in connection with the side plow; it will level the material for a distance of 15 ft. from the rail, wide enough to permit laying a side track from which the embankment can be further widened. Only one side at a time can be widened with this spreader. If it is desired to widen the embankment on both sides of the track, one side is completed first; the cars and spreader are then turned around on the nearest turntable or Y-track, and the other side widened by drawing the spreader in the opposite direction. If the cars are not provided with aprons they need not be turned around. This spreader is generally arranged to cut about 6 ins. below the bottom of the ties of the main track, thereby forming the subgrade for the side track, and maintaining proper drainage of the main track. The apron, B, is bolted on the spreader, and serves to remove any loose material which may fall on the track between the rail and the ends of the ties. When shipping the spreader over the road, Fig. 96, it is drawn up by a hand windlass revolving about hinges on the side sill of the car and folded down on it; in this position it will clear anything that other cars can pass.
