Cutting Railroad Track

[Dutch445]

yes, and one of my co workers asked about it for
the same reason, snowmobile clubs use them for bridges
over streams etc. but by then they were chopped!

 

[JL Sargent]

Nothing and I mean nothing will work as well as a good ole torch for cutting rail track out in the field. It's as simple as that. No way in this life will any chopsaw cut as fast as a properly set up and executed oxy/acet. torch outfit. Thermite? great for welding, not so great for cutting. An oxy/propane torch would be just fine too. We cut solid 1.5" pins at work all the time. I have tried it lots of ways many many times, no comparison the torch wins.

 

[yomax4]

Once Again, Any Oxyfuel Torch. ( I opt for Victor ) Will Cut the RR Track. Most Rail Roads use Victor Only....Get the Torch, Get a Cut chart, Set the torch, Cut the Track with any brand. Just do it. Chop Saw is ok but.......

 

[dstig1]

Some years back I was visiting a customer of ours that was tearing down an old steel mill in Gary, IN. When they abandoned the mill, they just flipped the power off and walked away. It was a full running plant still making steel until then. So basically these huge rivers of molten steel (in various stages) just cooled in place into 2' deep x 2' wide x 1 mile long "bars". This was top dollar scrap, so they were salvaging it. A herd of workers were cutting it down into fork-liftable chunks.

Guess what they were using?

Oxy-Acetylene cutting torches. If it is good enough to make dozens of cuts in 2' thick steel blocks, I think it should work for a RR rail...

It was a cool site to visit too...

-Dave

 

[Travelover]

............... So basically these huge rivers of molten steel (in various stages) just cooled in place into 2' deep x 2' wide x 1 mile long "bars". .............

Yea, that is more than the average Harbor Freight cutoff saw could handle. :laughing:

 

[JL Sargent]

When cutting really thick stuff the oxygen lance wins! Simply start the cut with an oxy/fuel setup and when the cut is really going you can switch over to just oxygen. I have seen iron more than 8 foot :laughing: thick cut this way.

 

[FlaDon]

Personally,

I think cutting through such a thick piece of metal with a chop saw is quite dangerous. Chop saws are designed for light gauge metal. If you have a torch, it should zip right through that. You're talking about cutting through metal that is over 2 inches thick and high tensile at that. Although it will cut/grind, the issue is that it will rapidly destroy a grinding and cutting rock rapidly to the point the whole stone will disintegrate and launch projectiles from the blade at high rates of speed. It would take quite some time to cut down through it.

A torch would make the cut in a fraction of the time. Then you could grind the rough cut up, but I wouldn't try to cut anything that thick without some serious protection.

Ever see how the track crews cut rail. A gasoline powered cutoff saw. As for chop saws, there are chop saws and then there are chop saws. Mine is now going on over 25 years of use and abuse. It is a 14" Black and Decker 3934 that has gone thru many boxes of wheels. No failures of any kind. Except for tripped GFCI breakers. 15 amp normal motor load and it can draw more than that if pushed.