Machinist Hector M. Ramirez operates the massive Simmons wheel lathe truing the wheels of Union Pacific GE ES44AC No. 8260 in the railroad’s locomotive shop at South Morrill, Nebraska, on September 14, 2017. The lathe is designed to cut and shape locomotive wheels while they are still in the trucks of the locomotive, and is located below track level in a drop pit. Pass-throughs on either side of the machine allow the operator to easily check the progress of work being done on both wheels at the same time.
