Ballast tamper
A ballast tamper is a machine used to make railway tracks level. It is like the railway version of a road roller but instead of only squashing the high parts, it also lifts the track out of dips.
Before tamping machines were made, tamping was done by lots of people with shovels. The machines make tamping quicker and the track is more level than if tamping is done by hand. Also, some new tracks and sleepers are too heavy to be lifted by hand, so a tamper has to be used.
New tampers can also move the track from side to side to make it smoother.
Ballast Tamper Media
Jackson 6700 switch tamping machine
A MATISA tamper at Keighley in February 2017 Customer VolkerRail
A GTRM Rail tamping machine
An Amey tamping machine
System 7 fully hydraulic tamping head
Tamper in Fastline livery
Railway works vehicles in Zabrze in Poland.
Bourreuse 108-475C de l'entreprise de travaux ferroviaire française Vecchietti
Czech narrow gauge tamping machine
