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TRACK WORK
TRACK LAYING.
1593. There is no department of modern railroad engineering
which is receiving so much attention as the care and maintenance
of the track. In the great strife for business, freight and passenger
rates have been reduced to a minimum, and to meet these conditions
speed and train loads have been nearly doubled. These conditions
demand a good track.
A track to be good must be laid on sound ties, well ballasted
and surfaced, full spiked and bolted, and in perfect line and
surface.
1594. New Road.In America practically all
newly constructed railroad is built of new material throughout,
though the cross-ties are often cheap and the rails light.
CROSS-TIES.
1595. Cross-ties are of wood. Their size and variety
of timber will depend upon the locality and financial ability
of the railroad company. The best ties are of while oak.
The following list gives in a descending scale the comparative
values of woods for cross-ties:
Hard WoodWhite Oak, Rock Oak, Burr Oak, Chestnut,
Southern Pine, Walnut, Cherry, Red Beech, Red Oak
Soft WoodRed Cedar, Black Cypress, White Cedar,
White Cypress, Tamarack, Butternut, White Pine, Hemlock, Spruce
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It is generally accepted that hewn ties are superior to sawed
ties. The surface of a well-hewn tie is a series of comparatively
smooth surfaces. The effect of the ax is to close the pores as
the chip is removed, which tends to exclude the moisture. The
effect of the saw is exactly the reverse of the ax. While given
an average smoother surface, it tears the fiber of the wood, leaving
the pores open. These minute broken fibers which cover the entire
surface of the tie act like sponges in attracting and retaining
moisture, and eventually hasten decay.
1596. Importance of Seasoning.Too little
attention is paid to the seasoning of cross-ties before they are
laid in the track. This is especially true on newly constructed
lines where scarcity of capital and the necessity for keeping
down expenses compel the use of the cheapest material and methods.
Cross-ties thoroughly seasoned will last fully one-quarter longer
than those used while green, and they are better in every way.
Well-seasoned wood will hold the spikes better and resist the
shearing tendency of the rails due to passing load's better than
green ties. The most favorable months in Northern latitudes for
cutting ties are August, December, January and February. During
these months there is comparatively no movement in the sap of
the trees. The ties should be hewn to uniform thickness and piled
in square piles about 4½ feet in height, as shown in Fig. 488, so
as to admit of the free circulation of the air and to hasten the
seasoning process.
1597. Specifications for and Inspection of Cross-Ties.Specifications
should include dimensions, and kind and quality of timber. Ties
for standard gauge tracks should be from 8 to 9 feet in length,
from 6 to 8 inches in thickness, and show not less than 6 inches
of face. The
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standard tie is 8 feet 6 inches in length, 7 inches in
thickness, and shows at least 7 inches of face. In the Northern,
Middle, and Western States, log ties, i.e., ties cut from
entire trees and showing two rounded sides, are principally used.
In the Southern, Atlantic, and Gulf States, yellow pine ties are
in almost universal use. They are square hewn and made of heart
timber, not more than 1 inch of sap being allowed on the corners.
In Southern latitudes, where the process of decay goes on throughout
the year, sap timber is almost worthless. The sap timber soon
softens, the spikes loosen and the rails cut into the wood, leaving
the track in a dangerous state. In those portions of the South
where oak is abundant, oak ties are much used. They are generally
square hewn. This is a mistake, especially if the ties are cut
from young thrifty trees (and no other timber should be used),
since a considerable portion of the weight of the tic is sacrificed
in squaring. This lost weight is all needed to give stability
to the track. The ties should be cut off square and to uniform
lengths, and be of a uniform thickness throughout their entire
lengths. Before being inspected, they should be delivered along
the right-of-way of the railroad and piled in regular piles, each
tie showing both ends. Ties are commonly graded as firsts and
seconds. The inspector carries a brush and pot of paint, marking
each class of ties with a distinctive mark. Firsts are usually
marked by a full circle, and seconds by a cross.
PREPARATION OF A ROADBED.
1598. It is a rare thing to find a new roadbed in proper
condition for track laying. Often it is in poor surface, being
left by the contractors in a rough, uneven state. If the track
is being laid in heavy, wet weather and the ties are being distributed
by teams, the wheels are sure to cut deeply into the roadbed,
and unless some precaution is taken to bring the tops of the ties
to a uniform surface, there is great danger of the rails being
bent by the passage of the construction train.
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1599. Track Centers.Center stakes marking
the alinement are driven at intervals of 100 ft. on tangents and
50 ft. on curves, where the degree of curve does not exceed 12
degrees. On curves exceeding 12 degrees, stakes should be driven
at intervals of 25 ft. A tack is driven in each stake, marking
the center of the track. Grade stakes for surfacing ties should
be placed at intervals of 16 ft. A straight edge placed upon these
stakes marks the grade for the intervening ties. The ties are
bedded with earth taken from the roadbed and tamped with the shovel.
The placing of grade stakes so close together is contrary to
common practice, but the increased labor for the engineer is more
than compensated for by the saving of the time ordinarily consumed
in sighting in ties where grade stakes are set at intervals of
50 or 100 ft. The surface is sure to be better where the straight
edge is brought into use, and the danger of kinking rails or bending
them out of surface is obviated.
1600. Track-Laying Machines.Track-laying machines
have been used to some extent. The ties, as well as rails and
fastenings, are carried on cars. With some machines they are conveyed
to the front on rollers; in others, on an endless belt which runs
along the sides of the cars. The process of track laying is as
follows: Two rail lengths are laid, bolted, and partially spiked,
and the ties partially bedded. The cars are then run forwards
and the process repeated. The progress of track laying with a
machine is limited by the amount of track which can be full bolted,
spiked, and made fit for the running of trains, and ranges from
1 to 1½ miles per day, 1 mile being a common average. Economy
in the force of track layers and the saving of team work are the
principal advantages claimed for track-laying machines. In mountainous
country, where the roadbed is difficult of access to teams, the
track-laying machine has decided advantages over ordinary methods,
but in open country where the roadbed is readily accessible, both
ties and rails should be hauled by teams. With
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material distributed a considerable distance in advance of
the construction train, a much larger force of men may be economically
employed. If the track laying is to be rushed, the track-laying
machine must take second place.
1601. Track-Laying Outfit.Before starting
out to lay new track on a new road, the boss track layer should
make requisition for all the tools necessary for expeditious work.
These tools are loaded on a car and shipped to the point where
work is to be commenced. Everything should be in readiness for
making a good beginning before the men are brought on the ground.
Any lack of proper tools is certain to cause awkward and often
serious delay, and operations must often be suspended until the
lack can be supplied from headquarters. The following list of
tools will amply supply a force of 100 track layers, with a reserve
for extra men in case they should be needed, and will be sufficient
to take the places of tools worn out or broken until a supply
can be brought to the front:
Hand cars 1, Covered water barrels 2, Steel cars 3, Track levers
2, Push cars 2, Chalk lines 2, Shovels 150, Spirit levels 6, Picks
50, Tape lines 6, Lining bars 12, Nail hammers 3, Claw bars 12,
Monkey wrenches 3,
Tamping bars 12, Lanterns, red 3, Nipping bars 24, Lanterns,
white 3, Cold chisels 24, Water pails 6,
Rail punches 6, Tin dippers 6, Chopping axes 6, Oil cans 2,
Hand axes 6, Oilers 3, Striking hammers 42, Gallons of oil 2,
Bush scythes and snaths, each 3, Pick handles 24, Nails, 10 penny,
kegs 1, Hand saws 6,
Nails, 20, 40, 60 penny, kegs of each 1, Adzes 6, Track gauges
12, Cross-cut saws 2,
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Adz handles 6, Curving hooks 2, Ax handles 6, Post hole diggers
2, Maul handles 36, Tie poles, 30 ft. long 2,
Red flags 12, Tie lines, 1,000 ft. long 1, Sledges, 16 lb. each
2, Sets double harness 1, Grindstones 1,
Sets single harness 1, Track wrenches 24, Sets double and single-trees,
each 1, Iron tongs, pairs 3,
Rail forks 6, Wagon 1, Expansion shims 200, Scraper 1, Switch
locks 6,Horses or mules 2, Rail drills 2,
Tool boxes 2, Torpedoes, dozens 4, Files 6, Track jacks 4, 1¼-inch
rope, feet 300, Rail benders 2
Car accommodations for track laying should be the following:
One supply and office car. One kitchen car. Two dining cars.
Three sleeping cars.
Where track laying is being done a long distance from the base
of supplies, a blacksmith with forge and tools should accompany
the outfit.
1602. Distributing Ties.When ties are distributed
along the roadbed by teams, they are strung out in proper numbers,
so that the labor of carrying them to their place in the track
may be as light as possible. The largest of them are reserved
for joint ties, the joints being located by measuring from the
ends of the rails already in place in the track. By measuring
with a 30-foot pole, the joints of rails may be accurately located,
a small stake driven marking each joint. This practice admits
of the placing of ties several rail lengths in advance of the
rail, thus affording working room for a much larger force than
could otherwise be handled. A tie line for lining the ends of
the ties is spaced at the proper
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distance from the center line and stretched taut, being fastened
at suitable intervals by well-driven stakes. Joints should not
be located at any considerable distance in advance of the rails,
as the measurements are likely to vary a little and soon accumulate
an error. These inaccuracies are obviated by checking the measurements
frequently from the ends of the rails already in place in the
track. Care must be taken to place the ties at right angles to
the center line. Ties laid askew prevent proper gauging of the
track. Ties should be assorted with reference to thickness in
order that those of uniform thickness may come together in the
track, thus greatly reducing the labor of bedding.
1603. Bedding Ties.As soon as the ties are distributed
and lined they are bedded for the rails. The process
is as follows: The straight edge is placed on the grade stakes
and the faces of the ties brought to a uniform surface by first
sinking those which are above grade and then raising those remaining
to grade by throwing dirt or ballast under them and settling them
to the correct level. It has been a general and most pernicious
custom to spike the rails to the ties without bedding. Most rails
will be found to carry from one to a half dozen swinging ties,
some of which are sure to get skewed before the ballast secures
them. The track is full of undulations and as the foundation is
rough and uncertain, many of the rails are kinked or surface-bent
by the passing construction train. Where ties are bedded, the
spiking can be better and more expeditiously done, and the construction
train can follow at once with entire safety.
If the track is to be ballasted with cinders or broken stone,
the ties must not be bedded, in order that the ballast may occupy
all the vacant space in the roadway. Nevertheless, the dressing
down of uneven places in the roadway before distributing the ties
is time and money well spent. The ballasting must be kept well
up with the track laying if kinking of the rails is to be avoided.
1604. Organization of Forces.The foreman in charge
of track-layers should thoroughly organize his forces,
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placing each man where his work will give the best results.
Spikers and iron men are first choice. They should be alert, sober
men, and should be paid higher wages than the rest, as upon their
efficiency depends the excellence and progress of the work. The
prospect of promotion which is thereby held out to the others
promotes the industry and discipline of the entire force.
A small surfacing gang immediately follows the track-layers.
Any scarcity of men at the front can be supplied from this gang,
and any extra men at the front can at any time be profitably added
to the surfacing gang.
1605. Locating Joint Ties.The foreman should detail
two trustworthy men to locate the joint ties. They carry a measuring
pole of the standard rail length, usually 30 feet, and locate
the joints by measuring from the ends of the fixed rails. They
also complete the work of spacing the intervening ties, which
can not be done until after the joint ties are placed.
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