Iraqi Republic Railways

[Anonymous]

I am stationed in Kuwait and just left Iraq last month. My wife sent me the July issue of Trains and I saw the article on the Iraqi Republic Railway. I had noticed that around Basra and its surroundings the rail lines themselves and support structures like the Swing bridge out side of Basra are intact but no effort has been made except for the Basra-Baghdad route to be put back in service. My question is-What would it take besides putting in new signals and cleaning up the debris. To put the Iraqi Republic Railway back in working condition and who would do this? Thanks SSGTROLL

[Anonymous]

I am stationed in Kuwait and just left Iraq last month. My wife sent me the July issue of Trains and I saw the article on the Iraqi Republic Railway. I had noticed that around Basra and its surroundings the rail lines themselves and support structures like the Swing bridge out side of Basra are intact but no effort has been made except for the Basra-Baghdad route to be put back in service. My question is-What would it take besides putting in new signals and cleaning up the debris. To put the Iraqi Republic Railway back in working condition and who would do this? Thanks SSGTROLL

[ironhorseman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ssgtroll

My question is-What would it take...To put the Iraqi Republic Railway back in working condition and who would do this?

Dear SSGTTROLL,

Your question is very broad and inclusive. You could have been a little more specific. If a teacher were to ask that on an essay test every student would cringe because that would require a lot of writing and a lot or remembering. However, since no one else has stepped up to the challenge of answering your question then I will. This first part I’ll describe in research paper format. I went to the Wichita State University library for books on engineering and bought some videos that show some of the processes of building a railroad. Keep in mind that all my sources date back to the 1940s and 1950s, but also keep in mind that this era was a revolution for the industry and some of these practices have become standard today. I am not an engineering student, but got my degree in Criminal Justice and minored in history. College has taught me the experience of doing research, however, If I had made any errors in this “report” I hope someone will see it and correct me.

Sincerely,

ironhorseman

PART I: restoring track

In Iraq we’re talking about fundamentals here. What does it take to put it back in working condition? What’s the one thing any and every railroad needs to survive? Answer: a purpose. What is this railroad going haul: passengers or freight or both? Where to? And how often? Combined with plan of execution will lead to the next step.

What’s the second most vital element to survival of a railroad, or any business for that matter? Answer: funding. Theodore Judah never would have never got his “crazy” idea of building the Central Pacific Railroad if some businessmen didn’t think this railroad’s purpose (to reach the silver mines) would be profitable or worthwhile. These financers were Collis P. Huntington, Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker, collectively known as The Big Four.

Finally you need men and materials. People who would be willing to build, maintain, and operate the physical aspect of railroading, all for a decent salary, of course.

The infrastructure, from what I gather by the article (“Iraq’s Railway Gets Attention,” Pg. 10, Trains Magazine, July 2003), the road exists, but was in disrepair until British military repaired part of it and is working on the rest to Baghdad. The first person(s) on the scene should be the civil engineer(s). According to the Microsoft Encarta 96 Encyclopedia “The civil engineer must have a thorough knowledge of all types of surveying, of the properties and mechanics of construction materials, the mechanics of structures and soils, and of hydraulics and fluid mechanics. Among the important subdivisions of the field are construction engineering, irrigation engineering, transportation engineering, soils and foundation engineering, geodetic engineering, hydraulic engineering, and coastal and ocean engineering.#”
Then turning to Elements of Railroad Engineering (Raymond, Riggs, and Sadler 1947) according to the table of contents there are five chapters to surveying:

26. Reconnaissance, or First Survey
27. Preliminary Survey
28. Location Survey
29. Construction Survey
30. Betterment Survey

Unless they’re going to build new lines, I would probably guess that the first four parts of surveying will not be used. The betterment survey is as follows from page 426 of the same book: “OBJECT…A betterment survey may or may not be a physical survey. The engineer’s object in the betterment of a railroad is increased capacity for and reduced cost of handling traffic. There are other reasons for bettering the service in concerned. The defects--or rather possibilities of improvement--out any hard-and-fast rules of procedure.” Some of the headings in the chapter are Velocity Profile and Power Curves, Locomotive Distribution, Changing Division Point, Velocity Profile Indications, and Relocation.

Once the highly mathematical skill of the survey is completed workers will come in and make any necessary repairs. This is basically manual labor with foremen to overseeing the process to make sure the rails stay true to gauge and that crossties, rails, and ballast are laid correctly.

Part II: Permanent Way of Elements of Railroad Engineering has ten chapters:

8. Alignment
9. Rails
10. Rail Fastenings
11. Crossties
12. Ballast and Roadbed
13. Culverts, Bridges, and Minor Structures
14. Turnouts
15. Side Tracks and Yards
16. Elevation of the Outer Rail
17. Signals and Signaling

I’m only going to briefly touch on 9, 10, 11, and 12.

Concerning the matter of defective rail, shatter cracks can form in rail after production which could lead to fissures. A Sperry car uses magnetic detection to find these defects and mark them with paint so that the rail can be replaced (Henry, 72).

Rail joints may or may not be still used in Iraq, I don’t know. If they still use them then there are different types of rail fastenings that could be use called angle-bar joints which butt up against the crosstie (Raymond, 112). They use four to six track bolts per joint (Raymond, 110). The number or joints per mile or kilometer depends on how long each section of rail is. In this modern age perhaps the British will upgrade the rails, if necessary or possible, to continuous welded rail. This is an interesting process that involves hauling in the rails on a special train car and laying them in between the already present rails. Next the track gangs come in and remove the spikes with a spike removing machine. The old rail is pushed aside and the new rail is then laid in it’s place, spikes reinserted and the rail sections welded together (Film: Science Rides the High Iron).

The rail spikes differ from America and Europe. Americans are familiar with the hook-headed, or hammer driven, spike. Almost all of Europe uses screw driven spikes. The advantages of each are largely a matter of a difference of opinion. Spikes can be driven faster, but screws will hold longer. Perhaps either type could have a particular advantage depending on the type of wood of the crosstie that it is being driven into (Raymond, 113-114).

Another fascinating process in railroad maintenance is the cleaning of ballast. Crib ballast (rock between the ties) can be shoveled out, put into a sieve for cleaning, then forked back into place. Ballast under the ties are not clean because it doesn’t get dirty (Raymond, 143.) A ballast cleaning car scoops up shoulder ballast mechanically, cleans it, and drops it back into place (Film: 225,000 Mile Proving Ground). Arguably clean shoulder ballast is only necessary because this will, in effect, cause crib ballast to clean itself during normal water seepage (Raymond, 143). In the Iraqi desert I imagine ballast can get really dirty and there is not enough rain or ground water to wash away the dirt.

Coming at a later date: PART II: running a railroad (if I have the resources, perhaps someone else would want to field this?)

SOURCES:

Boxer, Herman; Hammer, Harry; Sites, James. Film: 225,000 Mile Proving Ground. Dudley Pictures Corp. New York, 1953.

Henry, Robert Selph. This Fascinating Railroad Business. The Bobbs-Merrill Company. Indianapolis, 1942.

Orchard, Thomas. Film: Science Rides the High Iron. Association of American Railroads. 19xx? (post 1950)

Raymond, William G.; Riggs, Henry E.; Sadler, Walter C. Elements of Railroad Engineering, 6th ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York, 1947.

[ironhorseman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ssgtroll

My question is-What would it take...To put the Iraqi Republic Railway back in working condition and who would do this?

Dear SSGTTROLL,

Your question is very broad and inclusive. You could have been a little more specific. If a teacher were to ask that on an essay test every student would cringe because that would require a lot of writing and a lot or remembering. However, since no one else has stepped up to the challenge of answering your question then I will. This first part I’ll describe in research paper format. I went to the Wichita State University library for books on engineering and bought some videos that show some of the processes of building a railroad. Keep in mind that all my sources date back to the 1940s and 1950s, but also keep in mind that this era was a revolution for the industry and some of these practices have become standard today. I am not an engineering student, but got my degree in Criminal Justice and minored in history. College has taught me the experience of doing research, however, If I had made any errors in this “report” I hope someone will see it and correct me.

Sincerely,

ironhorseman

PART I: restoring track

In Iraq we’re talking about fundamentals here. What does it take to put it back in working condition? What’s the one thing any and every railroad needs to survive? Answer: a purpose. What is this railroad going haul: passengers or freight or both? Where to? And how often? Combined with plan of execution will lead to the next step.

What’s the second most vital element to survival of a railroad, or any business for that matter? Answer: funding. Theodore Judah never would have never got his “crazy” idea of building the Central Pacific Railroad if some businessmen didn’t think this railroad’s purpose (to reach the silver mines) would be profitable or worthwhile. These financers were Collis P. Huntington, Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker, collectively known as The Big Four.

Finally you need men and materials. People who would be willing to build, maintain, and operate the physical aspect of railroading, all for a decent salary, of course.

The infrastructure, from what I gather by the article (“Iraq’s Railway Gets Attention,” Pg. 10, Trains Magazine, July 2003), the road exists, but was in disrepair until British military repaired part of it and is working on the rest to Baghdad. The first person(s) on the scene should be the civil engineer(s). According to the Microsoft Encarta 96 Encyclopedia “The civil engineer must have a thorough knowledge of all types of surveying, of the properties and mechanics of construction materials, the mechanics of structures and soils, and of hydraulics and fluid mechanics. Among the important subdivisions of the field are construction engineering, irrigation engineering, transportation engineering, soils and foundation engineering, geodetic engineering, hydraulic engineering, and coastal and ocean engineering.#”
Then turning to Elements of Railroad Engineering (Raymond, Riggs, and Sadler 1947) according to the table of contents there are five chapters to surveying:

26. Reconnaissance, or First Survey
27. Preliminary Survey
28. Location Survey
29. Construction Survey
30. Betterment Survey

Unless they’re going to build new lines, I would probably guess that the first four parts of surveying will not be used. The betterment survey is as follows from page 426 of the same book: “OBJECT…A betterment survey may or may not be a physical survey. The engineer’s object in the betterment of a railroad is increased capacity for and reduced cost of handling traffic. There are other reasons for bettering the service in concerned. The defects--or rather possibilities of improvement--out any hard-and-fast rules of procedure.” Some of the headings in the chapter are Velocity Profile and Power Curves, Locomotive Distribution, Changing Division Point, Velocity Profile Indications, and Relocation.

Once the highly mathematical skill of the survey is completed workers will come in and make any necessary repairs. This is basically manual labor with foremen to overseeing the process to make sure the rails stay true to gauge and that crossties, rails, and ballast are laid correctly.

Part II: Permanent Way of Elements of Railroad Engineering has ten chapters:

8. Alignment
9. Rails
10. Rail Fastenings
11. Crossties
12. Ballast and Roadbed
13. Culverts, Bridges, and Minor Structures
14. Turnouts
15. Side Tracks and Yards
16. Elevation of the Outer Rail
17. Signals and Signaling

I’m only going to briefly touch on 9, 10, 11, and 12.

Concerning the matter of defective rail, shatter cracks can form in rail after production which could lead to fissures. A Sperry car uses magnetic detection to find these defects and mark them with paint so that the rail can be replaced (Henry, 72).

Rail joints may or may not be still used in Iraq, I don’t know. If they still use them then there are different types of rail fastenings that could be use called angle-bar joints which butt up against the crosstie (Raymond, 112). They use four to six track bolts per joint (Raymond, 110). The number or joints per mile or kilometer depends on how long each section of rail is. In this modern age perhaps the British will upgrade the rails, if necessary or possible, to continuous welded rail. This is an interesting process that involves hauling in the rails on a special train car and laying them in between the already present rails. Next the track gangs come in and remove the spikes with a spike removing machine. The old rail is pushed aside and the new rail is then laid in it’s place, spikes reinserted and the rail sections welded together (Film: Science Rides the High Iron).

The rail spikes differ from America and Europe. Americans are familiar with the hook-headed, or hammer driven, spike. Almost all of Europe uses screw driven spikes. The advantages of each are largely a matter of a difference of opinion. Spikes can be driven faster, but screws will hold longer. Perhaps either type could have a particular advantage depending on the type of wood of the crosstie that it is being driven into (Raymond, 113-114).

Another fascinating process in railroad maintenance is the cleaning of ballast. Crib ballast (rock between the ties) can be shoveled out, put into a sieve for cleaning, then forked back into place. Ballast under the ties are not clean because it doesn’t get dirty (Raymond, 143.) A ballast cleaning car scoops up shoulder ballast mechanically, cleans it, and drops it back into place (Film: 225,000 Mile Proving Ground). Arguably clean shoulder ballast is only necessary because this will, in effect, cause crib ballast to clean itself during normal water seepage (Raymond, 143). In the Iraqi desert I imagine ballast can get really dirty and there is not enough rain or ground water to wash away the dirt.

Coming at a later date: PART II: running a railroad (if I have the resources, perhaps someone else would want to field this?)

SOURCES:

Boxer, Herman; Hammer, Harry; Sites, James. Film: 225,000 Mile Proving Ground. Dudley Pictures Corp. New York, 1953.

Henry, Robert Selph. This Fascinating Railroad Business. The Bobbs-Merrill Company. Indianapolis, 1942.

Orchard, Thomas. Film: Science Rides the High Iron. Association of American Railroads. 19xx? (post 1950)

Raymond, William G.; Riggs, Henry E.; Sadler, Walter C. Elements of Railroad Engineering, 6th ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York, 1947.

[Anonymous]

During the Korean War 95% of men and materiel from South Korean ports to the front lines went by rail. Fighting went back and forth in 1950 - 1951, rail facilities seemed hopelessly destroyed. However, lines were often restored to service in a matter of days and larger projects such as the Han River bridge and Killachon bridge took a matter of weeks. WWII in Europe saw similar experience. The Germans were far more skillful destroying rail lines and mining roadbeds than the communist forces in Korea. Army Field Manual 55 - 22 is the best source on rail operations in theater.
http://www.adtdl.army.mil/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/fm/55-20/toc.htm

[Anonymous]

During the Korean War 95% of men and materiel from South Korean ports to the front lines went by rail. Fighting went back and forth in 1950 - 1951, rail facilities seemed hopelessly destroyed. However, lines were often restored to service in a matter of days and larger projects such as the Han River bridge and Killachon bridge took a matter of weeks. WWII in Europe saw similar experience. The Germans were far more skillful destroying rail lines and mining roadbeds than the communist forces in Korea. Army Field Manual 55 - 22 is the best source on rail operations in theater.
http://www.adtdl.army.mil/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/fm/55-20/toc.htm