BNSF Ballast Cars

[mudchicken]

The eastern Class 1’s have used & championed asphalt underlayment* under other high impact areas like bridge approaches and turnouts. Just wonder how many crossing frogs have seen a similar approach, especially when it is so hard to do the work under traffic.

(*) the work of Dr. Jerry Rose at the University of Kentucky who pioneered a lot of the work in creating the AREMA suggested guidelines

[mudchicken]

BaltACD
That is the one thing we don’t comprehend - ballast against ties and other track components is beaten into dust with the passage of each car on each train from the wave action of every passing wheel

It’s not ballast against ties; it’s ballast against ballast, agitated by ties and shock. The stones in the first layer against the tie ‘key’ into it, and effectively become so many little ‘hand axes’ against the second layer out and down… which then in turn triturates the one under…

…and a major reason for timber tie life challenges as sharp edges chew down the tie.

Same as how stones in a rubber tumbler come out shiny when you leave them for a while.

The harder the rock, the longer it lasts… but it all degrades over time. Granite, Trap Rock, whatever … and why limestone has largely ceased being used.

[tree68]

The harder the rock, the longer it lasts… but it all degrades over time. Granite, Trap Rock, whatever … and why limestone has largely ceased being used.

And then there’s cinders…

Portions of the NYC Adirondack Division still have cinders…