Fig. 93.
Harris & Carter Spreader.
Fig. 94.
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].
