Does anyone know if there is a model of these M of W ribbon rail trains or the plants that weld these 40 or 50 foot rails together. There was a welding plant in Tracy, Ca , since gone, and then another somewhere in Nevada.
After all, flex was modeled after it! Why not have a train in model for it.
You could probably use drop end gondolas to haul the rail, but the big problem is getting it to negotiate curves.
If you just want to have it sitting on a siding it would be ok, but just one piece of flextrack in a string of these cars would cause derailment at every curve. The flextrack doesn’t flex to scale as the prototype.
It is a great idea, but it would be impossible to implement.
That’s just my opinion, I could be wrong.
The way the big boys hauled it was that each piece of track was in 1/4 mile lengths and was fasened in the center of the string of specially equiped flat cars. These trains hauled about 60 or 70 1/4 mile lengths. These trains were very fasenating to watch go through turn outs and cross overs. Usualy pulled by a couple of jeeps, gp 6’s or 7’s.
The loading process was neat but the unloading process, on sight, was quite a thing to watch. Wonder if Walthers has and thing like that?
thanks
I’ve seen an article somwhere. I believe it was in a N scale magazine. I don’t remember what was used for rails.
While impresive, the rails didn’t look quite right.
One problem with modeleing a working ribbon rail train is our curves are much sharper than the prototype.
Bowser makes the rail racks to add to flatcars.
Thanks again nightcrawler, I’ll have a look. And even though the esspee had wash racks, they hardly ever used them… Something interesting, I aquired a complete set of blue prints of the old Tracy, Ca. yard, pre 1960, and in the prints was blue print for a “Hog Washer” Interesting, which hog, the animal or the engineer?