Since we have had arcane discussion about tractive power, how throttles and brakes work, I think I am safe is showing how welded rail happens.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Thermite is proof metal burns. It is a mixture of powered iron and aluminum. The reaction is extremely rapid oxidation. We call skow oxidation rusting or corrosion, fast oxidation is combustion or fire.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermite
Yes with an exception of sorts. The rail is no longer 40' sticks. It is as long as 1/8 mile and delivered on special cars with roller racks when laid. Expansion is forced to grow vertically rather then horizontal by the clips that hold it. Thermite is used in the field if a rail breaks or a small section needs to be replaced.
Welded rail is welded using an electric but weld process. An anode is clamped to onrail and a cathode clamped to another and then the rails are forced together while electricity flows through the joint, creating enough heat to melt and fuse the rails. There is also a portable welder that can make the same type of welds on track in place.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Looks like those guys have done that before. I noticed the Milwaukee Road rolling stock in the back ground but then remembered that Elkhart has a railroad museum so I assume that is the museum in the background. This might make a great scene on a more modern model railroad. You would have to substitute a glowing light for the sparks though.
Mark B.
BigDaddySince we have had arcane discussion about tractive power, how throttles and brakes work, I think I am safe is showing how welded rail happens.
Hi Henry!
Thanks for the video. As I have stated before, I love that sort of technical stuff.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
To my knowledge nothing but flash-butt welding is used to make up the long 'sticks' of what used to be called 'ribbon rail' -- including those special 560' or whatever lengths UP used that they built the special ship to carry over from the Far East. I'd be interested to see the protocols and perhaps post-treatment used in welding modern rail steels and head-hardened product, both in the shop and in the field.
But plenty of railroads still use Thermite kits to make field welds, particularly for inserting short lengths of replacement rail or working close to crossings or other impediments. The whole setup including the hopper and molds is relatively easily portable compared to the apparatus needed for a good clamped butt weld -- and not all railroads want to invest in those fancy Brandt-unit-style truck-mounted systems. Here's the official page for one such product line, from a company whose name will be familiar to those who know the history of the Thermit(e) reaction:
http://www.orgothermit.com/welding-kits.html
On an associated note, I believe there are still crews that use the burning rope trick to expand rail when making field welds...