What Welding Rail Repair is This?

Trains Magazine General Discussion
21

The pull-apart could also have been caused by / resulted from either a weld breaking, or the rail itself, due to contraction from cold temperature. Even when fully anchored, a few hundred feet will spring or retract back. Heat the rail up a little bit and vibrate it (hammer on the tie plates) to encourage the rails to close up the gap, and either make the weld or apply the temporary joint bars and drill bolt holes for same, pending the permanent repair.

It’s not cotton rope, by the way (though it does look like it) - that would burn up too quickly. It’s a woven fiberglass rope, soaked in kerosene or diesel fuel, laid out, and ignited with a fusee (flare) or cutting torch - see under “Rail Bender* Accessories” about 1/3 of the way down this webpage: http://www.westernsafety.com/aldon2010/aldon2010pg9.html and “close to home”, this from North Baltimore, Ohio: http://nbnewsxpress.com/viewnews.php?newsid=2379&id=1

Smelly and messy, but effective, and warm, too, on those frigid bitter cold days . . . [C] [{(-_-)}]

(*Absolutely no relation to the “Bender” = “Bending Unit 22” robot character from the “Futureama” animated TV show - see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bender_(Futurama - although after reading that description of his capabilities . . . [:-^] [swg] )

  • Paul North.
22

Oh, that DOES sound like fun. I’ve often described the process as a miniature, man-made volcano. In a tunnel would almost make it like being in the volcano.

23

Pittsburgh Railways (and I imagine other streetcar lines) simply tossed a bare wire over the trolley wire and, presto!, an electric arc welder. I remember seeing this done several times in downtown Pittsburgh, always at night to minimize interference with automobile traffic.