Working rail roads and their tracks.

[5030]

This brings up something I learned from watching a Public Broadcasting show years ago.

The ballast they use is specific to it's task. Can't have too many fines. Size is critical. This ballast needs to remain loose and moveable. By it's nature it usually does. If not the ties will eventually get buried and thr clearance required by the cars at the rails will be diminished

By design as the trains move over the tracks they naturally move. As the ties shift the very loose ballast material works it's way under the ties. Keeping them elevated. If they become too elevated cars with hopper bottom dump doors replenish the ballast supply.

The track thru our County was abandoned thirty five years ago. The land reverted back to the original owners. The rail and ties were pulled. Locals were all excited!!!! Free gravel for driveways, barn lots, etc. NOT. I know of one farmer that had a relatively steep driveway going up to his house garage. He laid some railroad ballast as gravel. His wife's front wheel drive car couldn't climb the driveway. She was not happy.

I still pick up OTM from the long gone interurban right of way on my back 45. Amazing how spikes and tie plates bubble up to the surface...

 

[cqaigy2]

This brings up something I learned from watching a Public Broadcasting show years ago.

The ballast they use is specific to it's task. Can't have too many fines. Size is critical. This ballast needs to remain loose and moveable. By it's nature it usually does. If not the ties will eventually get buried and thr clearance required by the cars at the rails will be diminished

By design as the trains move over the tracks they naturally move. As the ties shift the very loose ballast material works it's way under the ties. Keeping them elevated. If they become too elevated cars with hopper bottom dump doors replenish the ballast supply.

The track thru our County was abandoned thirty five years ago. The land reverted back to the original owners. The rail and ties were pulled. Locals were all excited!!!! Free gravel for driveways, barn lots, etc. NOT. I know of one farmer that had a relatively steep driveway going up to his house garage. He laid some railroad ballast as gravel. His wife's front wheel drive car couldn't climb the driveway. She was not happy.

I didn't know that.

 

[RobS]

This brings up something I learned from watching a Public Broadcasting show years ago.

The ballast they use is specific to it's task. Can't have too many fines. Size is critical. This ballast needs to remain loose and moveable. By it's nature it usually does. If not the ties will eventually get buried and thr clearance required by the cars at the rails will be diminished

By design as the trains move over the tracks they naturally move. As the ties shift the very loose ballast material works it's way under the ties. Keeping them elevated. If they become too elevated cars with hopper bottom dump doors replenish the ballast supply.

The track thru our County was abandoned thirty five years ago. The land reverted back to the original owners. The rail and ties were pulled. Locals were all excited!!!! Free gravel for driveways, barn lots, etc. NOT. I know of one farmer that had a relatively steep driveway going up to his house garage. He laid some railroad ballast as gravel. His wife's front wheel drive car couldn't climb the driveway. She was not happy.

There is a line through Elkhart, IN that is in use a couple of times per week but in a very poor state of repair. You can see what happens when they don't keep it up. The ties sink in, fines fill in, weeds grow and the ties deteriorate. Here's a video of a section very close to where I used to work. I would walk this section at lunch on occasion. Also, this guy has some great railroad videos!

 

[Hay Dude]

That main track shouldnt even pass as siding...
I see stuff like that and it actually makes me sad
Our Railroads are of vital importance and should be a source of national pride.

 

[MossRoad]

There is a line through Elkhart, IN that is in use a couple of times per week but in a very poor state of repair. You can see what happens when they don't keep it up. The ties sink in, fines fill in, weeds grow and the ties deteriorate. Here's a video of a section very close to where I used to work. I would walk this section at lunch on occasion. Also, this guy has some great railroad videos!

That main track shouldnt even pass as siding...
I see stuff like that and it actually makes me sad
Our Railroads are of vital importance and should be a source of national pride.

The Elkhart and Western is one of many short lines owned by Pioneer Railcorp. If it weren't for them, there'd be even more abandoned tracks.

 

[Hay Dude]

The Elkhart and Western is one of many short lines owned by Pioneer Railcorp. If it weren't for them, there'd be even more abandoned tracks.

I get it, but when locomotive speed is reduced to 5mph because theres no funds to fix tracks, something’s wrong.

 

[ovrszd]

Looks to me like they pull them and then put them back again. That is in Germany btw. Not many precast concrete ties here....yet.

I was studying that too. Couldn't completely verify that they are reusing them. By the long train filled with ties it is my assumption they are not being reused at that time. There would be no reason to pull that many cars loaded with ties if they were simply resetting them. All assumption on my part.

 

[Hay Dude]

The ties going in looked like fresh, new whiter concrete

 

[ovrszd]

The ties going in looked like fresh, new whiter concrete

At the end of the video when it's sped up you can see there are two "carriers" at work. A transition car in the middle of the train. There's where the old ties are passed to the rear of the train as the new ones from back there are used.

 

[5030]

The Elkhart and Western is one of many short lines owned by Pioneer Railcorp. If it weren't for them, there'd be even more abandoned tracks.

Bad, but really THAT bad... The telephote lens exacerbates the condition....