Photo By Spc. Xavier Chavez | U.S. Army Reserve Soldier Staff Sgt. Daniel Smith, a platoon sergeant with the 125th...... read more read more
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CAMP ROBERTS, Calif. -- The burning sun beats down on the tracks, heating the railroad car that rides atop them. Chains grind and rattle against the car's metal body as Staff Sgt. Michael Williams, a railway specialist with the 757th Expeditionary Railway Center, Railway Planning and Advisory Team 5, teaches his Soldiers how to properly secure vehicles to the railcar.
“I’m here today at Camp Roberts assisting the 316th (Expeditionary Sustainment Command) with the rail tie-down class. We are getting Soldiers to load the vehicles from ground to rail via ramp to spanners for each car and tie them down, securing vehicles to rail,” said Williams. Without the proper training, these massive vehicles could come loose during their journey across the tracks and cause massive damage to people and property.
“The operation is important because the Army uses the rail systems to move a mass amount of equipment with the least amount of personnel, so it’s more efficient to move by rail than any other form of transportation,” said Williams.
After the training and safety guidance, the Soldiers prepared the railroad cars for the day’s cargo: a Humvee and a light medium tactical vehicle. Staff Sgt. Anthony Ricks, with the 757th ERC, assists the Soldiers with adequately securing the chains to the railroad car.
“When a unit arrives on site here at the training location, we’ll gather them all together and give them a quick safety briefing, and then we’ll step in and give them the rail-specific safety briefing. Once we get all that done and everyone is comfortable, we’ll go into the class and show them how to grab a spanner, lift and load the spanner onto the railcar, and tie it down. Then, once the spanners are all loaded and not moving, we’ll stage the vehicles for how they will be loaded onto the railcar, load them onto the railcar, and then tie the vehicle down so that it can’t fall off the railcar. We’ll remove the vehicles and give the next class,” said Ricks.
After the chains were secured to the railroad car, the Soldiers drove the Humvee over the steel spanners connecting the top of the railcar to the concrete platform. Soldiers stood at different positions surrounding the vehicle, ready to give signals to the front guard, who would then direct the driver left, right, or to stop. Everyone focused as the Humvee moved over the spanners onto the railcar, as the slightest adjustment could send the Humvee crashing into the ground. Finally, both back wheels rolled onto the railcar, and the Humvee was guided forward to its designated spot on the car, where the Soldiers used their new skills to secure the Humvee and begin moving the LMTV.
“Loading vehicles onto rail cars is important because we can utilize rails as a power projection platform to get equipment from [point] A to Z as efficiently and quickly as possible,” said Ricks.
| Date Taken: | 06.06.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.10.2024 22:36 |
| Story ID: | 473462 |
| Location: | CAMP ROBERTS, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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