Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
BATMAN wrote:In the old days (I mean when I was a kid) when a level crossing had wood beams between the rails what size were these beams? 4"x 6"?
Grade crossing planks were usually approximately 8" wide and whatever thickness would have them slightly below railhead height - a variable depending on the rail height of the particular track being crossed. However, there was very little standardization and track crews were given free rein to be as inventive as possible in using whatever happened to be available in the MW storage area. A vertical mismatch of as much as an inch between adjacent planks was not unheard of.
The only constant was that planks rested directly on the ties, without fillers. That way, they wouldn't break under the wheels of heavier road vehicles.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)