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Posted

Do the railroad companies periodically grind the top of rails with an angled pattern?  Walking around the city and crossing tracks I have seen the marks in various degrees of covering the rails, including this one today.

 

You can see the angled marks on the sides of the rails. In the middle it looks like they have just been worn off. Do they occasionally grind to improve traction? Curious minds want to know.

 

 

IMG_5184.jpeg

Posted

This one about expansion joints was interesting!

Right after I got my nursing license -- I was still a working medic -- it was so blistering hot the rails expanded to the limit of their expansion joints. Blistering hot, middle of summer, chemical train coming up from the Ashland plant on the Ohio River, headed for Columbus: the hot rails bore against one another, crowded out of gauge, derailment.

Hazmat derailment.

We'd been taught the DuPont hazmat team was the best in the country.

When I saw them at work I was convinced I'd been told truly!

Ever since then I've wondered about welded rail ... thank you, Marshal, this is informative!

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Posted

The first video mention rail weights. I found this

 

weight of railroad track can vary depending on the type and size of the rail. Common rail sizes include:

  • Light rail (e.g., 60 lb/yd): Weighs about 30 lbs per foot.
  • Standard rail (e.g., 132 lb/yd): Weighs about 66 lbs per foot.
  • Heavy rail (e.g., 136 lb/yd): Weighs about 68 lbs per foot.

Most modern freight railroads use heavier rails, typically ranging from 115 to 136 lbs per yard, translating to approximately 57 to 68 lbs per foot. The specific weight can vary based on design and material specifications, so it's always best to consult the manufacturer or a specific railroad for exact figures.

Posted
8 hours ago, Charlie Harley, #14153 said:

Do the railroad companies periodically grind the top of rails with an angled pattern?

Yes, rail is ground when the profile flattens or becomes worn abnormally. 
 

3 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

Light rail (e.g., 60 lb/yd): Weighs about 30 lbs per foot.

The standard for Light Rail is 115 lb rail. It has been for decades. 60 lb rail is Trolley rail.

 

 

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Posted
6 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

The first video mention rail weights. I found this

 

 

weight of railroad track can vary depending on the type and size of the rail. Common rail sizes include:

  • Light rail (e.g., 60 lb/yd): Weighs about 30 lbs per foot.
  • Standard rail (e.g., 132 lb/yd): Weighs about 66 lbs per foot.
  • Heavy rail (e.g., 136 lb/yd): Weighs about 68 lbs per foot.

Most modern freight railroads use heavier rails, typically ranging from 115 to 136 lbs per yard, translating to approximately 57 to 68 lbs per foot. The specific weight can vary based on design and material specifications, so it's always best to consult the manufacturer or a specific railroad for exact figures.

 

The math doesn't add up. 3 time the weight per foot is not even close to the weight per yard.

Posted
13 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

what is the most common reason for failure when a train derails?

I’m going to guess that it’s something on the track, like the truck in Pecos, TX a couple weeks ago. 

Posted
57 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

what is the most common reason for failure when a train derails?

On open track it’s usually the track that fails. Possibly due to pushing the limits of the trackwork itself. Occasionally it’s bad wheels - flanges too thin or too short. Sometimes it’s an erosion issue. Washed out roadbeds or erosion near grade crossings. 
In crossovers and yards most derailments are Operator / Engineer induced. 

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Posted
On 12/30/2024 at 10:57 AM, Pat Riot said:

On open track it’s usually the track that fails. Possibly due to pushing the limits of the trackwork itself. Occasionally it’s bad wheels - flanges too thin or too short. Sometimes it’s an erosion issue. Washed out roadbeds or erosion near grade crossings. 
In crossovers and yards most derailments are Operator / Engineer induced. 

Bad wheels sounds like something begging for AI.  At switching yards monitors could be installed watching for them and signaling defects.

 

as for trackwork,  if there are warning signs, one car in a thousand or so could be equipped to look for them.

 

as for operator/engineer, they have a union.

 

its not unlike a cookie factory where hundreds of cookies pass every minute and defective ones get rejected.

Posted
4 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

Bad wheels sounds like something begging for AI.  At switching yards monitors could be installed watching for them and signaling defects.

 

as for trackwork,  if there are warning signs, one car in a thousand or so could be equipped to look for them.

 

as for operator/engineer, they have a union.

 

its not unlike a cookie factory where hundreds of cookies pass every minute and defective ones get rejected.

That all sounds good in theory, but in reality projects like that cost billions, not millions due to the size and scope of the projects. 

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Posted
On 12/31/2024 at 4:37 PM, Pat Riot said:

That all sounds good in theory, but in reality projects like that cost billions, not millions due to the size and scope of the projects. 

With the ever decreasing cost of electronics, such a project will not always be out of reach.

Posted
58 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

With the ever decreasing cost of electronics, such a project will not always be out of reach.

True, but it’s the human element that’s the problem. Bureaucrats, entrenched management imbeciles and closed minded union officers are the problem. 

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Posted
On 12/30/2024 at 9:09 AM, Boggus Deal #64218 said:

I’m going to guess that it’s something on the track, like the truck in Pecos, TX a couple weeks ago. 

Our son in law is an engineer, he was supposed to be driving that train, but decided to take off that day.

JHC :o

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