Hello.
I was recently out at Victorville, CA and went out to see the famous BNSF Transcon route. What amazed me was the number of loose spikes that I saw. Some of them look as though they were never driven down. Would this be caused by vibration? While trackside, I watched several trains go by and the track didn’t flex at all. Check out the photo below.
Take care,
Gregory
Loose spikes usually mean the ties have been pumping (moving up and down as a train rolls by). I’m guessing you observed the track after BNSF re-tamped the area to stop the pumping and before before they re-drove or replaced the loose spikes. Or the train you watched wasn’t heavy. Where’s the muddy fowl?
I thought spikes help maintain guage and secondly prevent rail rollover.
I’d say if the ties were pumping, ALL of the spikes would be up, and all at the same height. Yes?
And don’t the tie plates hold the rails in gauge? Spikes hold the plates in place.
[(-D][(-D][(-D]
I’m trying to figure who MC’s laughing at here.
One thing hasn’t been mentioned–there are rail anchors visible in the photo, but they apparently haven’t done their job very well, either.
Absent of an explanation, I guess being an old rail hand he or she is laughing mockingly at the ignorance of such a question/guesses. Why, though, on a forum designed for railfans to discuss such things? I realize to him/her this is a simple, everyday occurrence, but …
If I recall properly what I was once told, loose spikes on just a few-several ties in one area isn’t a big deal, because there are so many more ties in the immediate area to hold the rail secure. There is an exact spec, which I don’t recall, but it’s something like 6-8 continuous feet with no ties spiked in place, before the rail is going to be at risk to move a dangerous amount.
Only tangentially related, but this Military spec for the maintenance of RR track is very informative
As an aside, I like your new avatar much more better, Convicted One.
Sorta gives your thoughts an even greater air of intellectualness and certainly portrays you as a ThD … er, Doctor of Thinkology.
Your compliment is appreciated. [:I]
Actually, I was just looking for one that appeared a more cross old grouse than Solz’ avatar, so I settled for Jung.
I recall a video circulating a while back showing a length of rail held in place only by the joints with the adjoining rails - there were no spikes (or anything else) holding the rail to the ties. The video showed a train passing over the rail, with the rail flopping all over the place…
Its quite simple, really.
A train must have come by with a flatcar carrying a really, really big magnet.
[#oops]
What do yo call a Mil-Spec mouse? An elephant…
Thanks for the link to the Tech Manual…just a techincal point, a Mil Spec is a bidding document, more useful for bean counters, engineers (civil type) and bidding…tech manuals are more useful to folks who have to work with or on the systems… Items are usually built to Military Specification, which will usually specify that the item be delivered with a Technical manual ™
And here I thought it was Sakahrov(sp) or Solgeneitsen(sp), and you were making some kind of statement that went over my head. Wait a minute. Maybe that’s who is in Sol’s avatar? If you were simply going for the Grumpy Old Men direction, why not the classics-Walter Matheau and Jack Lemmon?[;)]
not all of the spikes will rise out of the ties when pumping.
Because silly, neither of them smoked a pipe. [:O]
Sometimes the rail will lift some ties in their entirety, while pulling the spikes from those immediately adjacent. Seen it in action