• Ballast cars that transport the ballast (rock) to the work site
• ballast cleaning equipment
• rail laying equipment
• tampers that keep the roadbed tightly packed
• ballast regulators to control the depth of the ballast around the ties and track
• equipment to remove and replace selected ties
• tie cranes to unload or load ties
• spike pullers
• welders
• rail grinders
• steam and pile drivers for building bridges across streams
• miscellaneous equipment
• snow removal equipment (essential in areas that get large quantities of snow)
• inspector equipment, also called geometry cars, that travels the rails to identify places that need attention. As you look at the above link for inspector equipment, you will observe that much of this equipment includes other types of cars that have been repurposed for this task.

Maintenance Of Way is an expense for any railroad. Without maintenance of way, the safety of the track diminishes and derailments occur. If a derailed train carries toxic chemicals, this can disrupt the lives of people living in the proximity of the rail line. The railroad bears the expenses incurred by people who must vacate their homes following a hazardous incidence such as a spill or a discharge of contents into the air. Not only must the roadbed be carefully maintained, the equipment that will run on the track must also requires regular maintenance. This is why railroads have car inspection equipment that checks for potential problems as a train passes. Formerly, this was done by an employee who visually examined the cars as they passed. If they identified a problem, a message was sent ahead to stop the train. Today, this is done by trackside inspection equipment that checks for hot boxes, problem wheels, etc.