A specialized piece of maintenance-of-way equipment designed to drive railroad spikes through tie plates and into wooden crossties. Early on, this term referred to the trackman swinging a spike maul, but it now means the hydraulic machine that feeds and drives spikes automatically. A single operator can secure thousands of feet of rail per shift with consistent holding power.
The spiker is trailing the tie gang, so give them plenty of room before you drop that ballast.
A well-maintained hydraulic spiker drives the spike straight down without bending the neck, which prevents the rail from vibrating loose under heavy tonnage.
Also heard as
- spike driver
Related terms
Railroad spike
A heavy steel nail with an offset head driven into wooden ties.
Tie plate
A thick steel plate installed between the steel rail and the wooden crosstie.
MOW
Maintenance of way: the department and crews that build and maintain track, bridges and roadbed.
Gandy dancer
A railroad track worker, especially one on a section or tie gang doing hands-on track work.