tamping machine

noun

A self-propelled rail-mounted machine used to pack or tamp ballast under railway tracks; a ballast tamper.

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Meanings

nountamping machine (plural tamping machines)

plural tamping machines

  1. rail transportA self-propelled rail-mounted machine used to pack or tamp ballast under railway tracks; a ballast tamper.

    By 1958, there will be available for service 100 ballast tamping machines and 16 ballast cleaning machines.

    1957 January 28, “Modernisation Plan Progress”, in Railway Magazine, page 15
    2 more examples

    The BRB has ordered from Plasser & Theurer, through Plasser Railway Machinery (GB) Ltd., a total of 27 Plassermatic VKR-05-E hydraulic track levelling and tamping machines with electronic-beam levelling units.

    1964 October, “News: New tamping machines for WR”, in Modern Railways, page 277

    A near-miss between a tamping machine and a passenger train at Balham Junction on April 20 2019 was caused by a lack of information, lack of querying instructions and poor safety-critical communications.

    2020 February 12, “Network News”, in RAIL, page 24

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
tamper
Cite this entry
APA

tamping machine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tamping%20machine

MLA

“tamping machine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tamping%20machine. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tamping machine,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tamping%20machine.

Source: tamping machine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.