There's a prototype for everything...Worlds worst railroad track.

[rack776]

I suddenly dont feel too bad about cleaning up & fixing old used Lionel O-31 track I found at the train shows.

There's a prototype for everything...even bad wavy crooked used track! 

Worlds worst railroad track.-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUCU2GhG8zE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYHUTbyPUS0

Goodness I hope somone shuts down that railroad operation before someone gets hurt or killed...

[jscola30]

looks like in the comments, there are repairs under way. I remember finding a book about the railroads on Cape Cod in the Chatham RR museum, there was a pic of an NH RS3 and caboose somewhere between Eastham and Provincetown, and you couldn't even see the tracks.

[Dave632]

 It amazes me that the train stays on the track. The Santa Fe loco looked like it was about to tip over...

What was that track built on, wet noodles?

[lionelsoni]

I'm afraid that the crooked track is a photographic trick.  Taking a picture with a long-focal-length lens makes dimensions across the line of sight appear greater than dimensions along the line of sight.  The effect is called "foreshortening".  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perspective_(graphical)  Notice how narrow the road looks at the grade crossing; and the ties that are visible seem to be crammed together very closely.  There's no way to tell how straight the track really is--you can make even decent track look bad this way.

[mersenne6]

Lionelsoni is correct - the foreshortening effect is visually interesting but does not accurately convey the true state of affairs.  Below is another example which was taken not too far from where I used to live.  I remember when I first saw this picture I thought that the railroad had put in a new set of signals. It was only after looking at the picture for awhile that I realized the photographer had to have had quite a lens on his cameral to get this perspective.

 

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=206463&nseq=140

[RedfireS197]

I came in here expecting a Realtrax discussion.

[dbaker48]

Aw Darn!  You guys ruined my day.  I was amazed, made me feel good about some of my track work.  I like the effect, I know your right, but want to hold on to the concept that it was that bad and they made it.

[Boyd]

Just setup some track on the living room floor and let some big person step on it and you will have a scale model of bad track.

[Buckeye Riveter]

RedfireS197

I came in here expecting a Realtrax discussion.

This is definitely a TOP TEN POST FOR 2013.  Very good RedfireS197!!