Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by traingeek087 A concrete tie is the way to go for class 1 railroads. They cost $50 a piece and are suppose to last for 50 years. [/quote] I love how all the railfans just love concrete ties. Ever seen what happens to them in a derailment?? Well, they shatter. I can buy exotic wood ties (from South America) for $36/tie that will also last 50 years, are not treated and won't shatter. I only wish railroads could afford them. The extra $26 per tie for concrete adds up WAY too fast. Remember also, when you lay concrete you need to replace ALL the ties. You can't mix them with wood. At 3,249 ties per mile on main line your concrete ties cost $162,450 uninstalled. Remember that installing concrete ties requies specialized heavy equipment to lay the ties and specialized OTM including pandrol clips or similar to hold the rail to the ties. They cost a good deal more than spikes and plates. I'd venture a guess that you'd be lucky to get your 1 mile of concrete ties installed for under $300,000. I can replace every other tie with a new oak treated 7"x9" tie for only $97,470 installed. That is a fix that will last on most short lines and secondary tracks until well after I retire (30+ years). Add to that extreme pressures to keep capital costs down. What would you as a Chief Engineer of a railroad do? Probably just what most do. Put concrete only where there is no alternative. LC
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag