Undercutter working on the FEC in Tequesta FL

I caught the undercutter cleaning ballast in Tequesta on this January day. The function of the machine is in a single pass to remove the existing ballast, separate built up sand, silt, and sediment from the good ballast, and then replace the clean ballast onto the track while ejecting the filtered material. NOTE: There is one important step that is hard to see in the video, since I could not get to the other side of the machine -- if you picture a large chain saw on its side, that is what goes UNDER the ties to extract the ballast to the far side of the machine, where it is lifted onto the conveyor. The large rotating buckets pick up the outer ballast. When the machine is getting packed up, you can see the large "chain saw" being folded into the center of the machine.
We get a good overview of the machine's operation, and then we see it scoot down to just above the Jupiter Drawbridge at mp282.5, where it slides back into the Cemex siding to clear out of the way for light engine train 937 to come through.

[@ibelieveyou2066]

14:26 Too hot for the flashing light,jeez,hes had a hard day! LOL. Greetings from the U.K.,seen loads of Balfour Beatty stuff,here. Never knew they operated in the U.S.

[@fioredecor222]

Excellent work.

[@fioredecor222]

Note that the sole power for this massive machine with all its hydraulics plus motive power are two Detroit 8v92's!

[@sarkybugga3301]

Never use your foot (Feet) to close a switch !

[@ejsayler1]

Not as efficient as Lorams Ballast cleaners!

[@sptraxide]

That machine looks like it does the job of two Loram machines. The shoulder ballast cleaner and the undercutter.