I thermit weld now for almost 4 years and i can tell those guys are experienced even tho you dont see how they prepared the rail for the actual welding process. Like cutting the necessary gap with a flame torch and setting the rails even with almost zero tolerance. Hats off to anyone who survived this job for more than 1 year. Even tho you see the "actual" work done its also the easiest thing about the day. But carrying this heavy equipment to where the rails have to be welded is the hardest part for us. Sometimes we push it on a wagon that fits on the rail tracks miles since u cant reach it with the working car & if you have a bad day you have to push it uphill. To this day its always a challenge, for all of us.