The standard excavating width of ballast cleaning machines in standard track gauge is just under 4 m. For cleaning turnouts, it is necessary to work with greater widths.
The machines can easily extend the working width (see Excavating the ballast bed material), allowing an excavating width of over 7 m.
Turnouts can be worked through from the main line to the branch line or vice versa. Accordingly, the chain cutter bar is extended by adding inserts or it is shortened by removing the inserts.
Ballasting the cleaned turnout is of the utmost importance. The cleaned ballast can be delivered to the track via slewing distribution conveyor belts or directly behind the screen (or a combination of both).
This method can be used for cleaning a single turnout, without the need to dismantle the turnout.
