Stick rail joints

[Overmod]

rixflix

Now I'm awaiting our resident Professor Irwin Corey facsimile to jump in with coefficients of thermal expansion and harmonic sine curves.

You may be waiting considerably longer than you expect.

[rixflix]

The concise information from Mr. Harris really nailed, or should I say bolted it for me. Now I'm awaiting our resident Professor Irwin Corey facsimile to jump in with coefficients of thermal expansion and harmonic sine curves. 

Rick

[Convicted One]

mudchicken

- Most of the muggles on here are of the "shiny toy" variety, could care less about what the toys run on.)

I, for one, sincerely appreciated the time you took to explain to me how to read the rails (Mfg, date, and weight)

[rdamon]

For 'internal' (cs.trains) links you have to make it a url link

https://tinyurl.com/ssp78s

[Euclid]

Lithonia Operator

Euclid, copying that link and pasting it in the URL box works on my phone.

 

I could not get it to be active when pasted into this thread.  So it cannot be opened here just by clicking on it, but if you copy/paste it into the browser or anywhere else, it opens fine.  During the course of that thread, I was amazed to find such a comlexity of reasoning between the choice of square versus staggered joints, including the option mentioned of slightly staggering versus full staggering.

But some of those references I posted in 2013 are no longer useful because of changes made to Google books. 

I built a 2-foot-gage railroad once that began with the purchase of 2 rails.  I ruled out staggering them because it would have reduced my mainline from 30 ft. to 15 ft. 

[Murphy Siding]

mudchicken

Unless you have beaucoup $$$, stagger the joints. (as for a new section, I don't think so --- Most of the muggles on here are of the "shiny toy" variety, could care less about what the toys run on.)

 

Dang, I can't remember if I'm a muggle or not. But, then I don't rmember if muggles are good or muggles are bad.

I kinda like learning everything about freight railroads, from the dirt up.

[Lithonia Operator]

Euclid, copying that link and pasting it in the URL box works on my phone.

[Euclid]

Here is a reference in another forum that contains 4 informative posts by George Harris.  The first post deals directly with the question of why the use of “square” joints versus staggered joints.  Additional commentary continues in George's next 3 posts. 

http://www.railforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi/topic/11/4053.html

 

The thread starts with the same basic track engineering question as this thread does.  The answer to the question has many factors that covers matters such as rocking harmonics, the matching of car length to rail length for the purpose of transporting rails in the cars at the expense of encouraging harmonic rocking, the need to adjust square joint rail length in curves, the relative strength of square versus staggered joints, square joints panel track, etc. 

[mudchicken]

Unless you have beaucoup $$$, stagger the joints. (as for a new section, I don't think so --- Most of the muggles on here are of the "shiny toy" variety, could care less about what the toys run on.)

[Euclid]

I started this thread on the question back in 2013.  There are quite a few pros and cons to each method, and also some variation or compromise between the two methods.

http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/215429.aspx

I can't get the link to open here.  It opens in the browsers. 

[tree68]

The joints on our line are staggered.  I've heard that aligning the joints can lead to problems if the joints are low.

 

[rixflix]

I've been youtube video-touring Japanese rural railways and noticed that stick rail joints are placed opposite each other. Dunno what their standard rail length is, but this practice would seem to involve an awful lot of inside rail trimming on an awful lot of curves. I would have liked having the concession for abrasive cutoff wheels. In the US joints are placed every 39 feet until special work is encountered. I don't see the advantage of side by side joints. 

The Brits apparently influenced Japanese railway practice (left hand running, sand catches and such) but I have yet to find anything like it in UK historical imagery. Maybe all those doggone chairs get in the way.

The cab ride videos on those rural lines are amazing. On some you can imagine yourself on an American interurban back when.

A thought: could we use a new forum for infrastructure? It might include MOW, new builds, bridges and buildings, catenary, signals, etc. Maybe bump the underutilized Trackside Guides to somewhere else.

Rick

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