Many people prefer rail travel over other forms. It is safer, cheaper, and gives to the liberty to enjoy your ride while performing other things such as reading a book or even doing business.
Today, for the love of trains, we are going to cover one of the bad boys in Europe’s ageing rail system. The all enduring, all massive RU 800 S!
Austrian company Plasser and Theurer outdid themselves when they joined hands with the construction company Swietelsky to create this beast, which is considered to be one of the largest moving machines ever seen.
The giant is 177 meters long (580 feet), longer than the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza. And when it is fully loaded with ballast and girders, it weighs a whopping 650 tonnes, which is about 300 times more than a Mercedes G-Wagon.
The beast is mainly used for automating otherwise dangerous tasks such as replacing the old tracks, changes concrete sleepers, replacing the bolts and adding extra ballast.
The RU 800 S is capable of replacing 200 meters (656 feet) of new track per hour, while can do 2 kilometres (6560 feet) per day before it needs some maintenance.
What are your thoughts on this magnificent wonder of engineering? Comment below!