A heavy maintenance-of-way vehicle designed to transport and automatically drop fresh crushed rock onto the track structure. It uses radio-controlled or mechanically linked bottom doors to spread the rock precisely over the ties and rails while moving, eliminating the need for track gangs to manually shovel the material.
Heard on the job
The dispatcher is holding us at the junction because the autoballaster is working the main line ahead of us.
Related terms
Ballast
The bed of crushed rock under and around the ties that holds the track in line and drains water away.
Ballast wagon
A specialized piece of rolling stock designed to transport and drop crushed stone onto the track bed.
MOW
Maintenance of way: the department and crews that build and maintain track, bridges and roadbed.