DWT
Dirty White Trash
Yup, I'm no train guy but I've burned several hundred thousand miles driving next to the rails watching how they repair and rebuild the tracks and you're right. They were due for new ties and likely some new rail.Ties on the side look new, and the way they're laid out makes me think they had some rotten/broken ties scheduled to be replaced along that stretch of track.
It's interesting to see them weld new rail together. There is a jig that goes around the joint and they weld it with what amounts to tannerite in a precise volume to do the job.