Hand-held tamping machine for compacting track ballast

A hand-held tamping machine for compacting track ballast below a track sleeper, the tamping machine comprising:

• a tamping pick for penetrating the track ballast;
• a vibration generator for vibration excitation of said tamping pick, said vibration generator being configured such that forces generated for said vibration excitation of said tamping pick act perpendicular to a shaft axis;
• a motor connected with said vibration generator via a drive shaft, said drive shaft having said shaft axis;
• a handle assembly with at least one handle for steering the hand-held tamping machine during operation;
• said at least one handle being arranged, along said shaft axis of said drive shaft, above at least one of:
• a machine center of gravity of the hand-held tamping machine by at least 30% of an overall height of the hand-held tamping machine;
• or
• a motor center of gravity of said motor by at least 15% of the overall height of the hand-held tamping machine.