Ribbon Rail Trains ?

[john lea]

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.

[mls1621]

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.

[john lea]

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

[DSchmitt]

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.

[Anonymous]

Bowser makes the rail racks to add to flatcars.

[john lea]

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?