QUOTE: Originally posted by drephpe Boys---boys---boys!! Settle down. You're becoming too good entertainment. A word to the wise. If you try to argue technical details with people who have forgotten more than you ever learned about the subject in the first place, you're probably not going to win any brownie points, or the argument either. That's called an "argument from ignorance" in philosophical logic, and it will get you a 5 or 6 on the Wunderlich test. For all you speculators, the photos first posted appear to be of one of the better segments what was the MP Bergstrom AFB spur in south Austin TX. It's now a UP industrial spur and in a GOOD year it sees maybe a switch move or two a week. It's class 1. It has broken ties, cut ties, rotten ties, displaced and/or missing tie plates, killed spikes, etc., but it has 5 good ties per rail joint and in fact will hold up the short, light moves that use it at speeds that amount more to a jog or walk than anything else. Yes, they do occasionally derail a car, which at that speed is more of a nuisance than anything else. It's not the UP (ex-MP) main line that crosses Oltorf St, which is Class 4 and sees 30-50 trains a day, including ATK. But pay attention to Ed and MC. They know what they're talking about. Look at the rail joint and track in those photos. The rail is not broken, shelled or beaten down. The bolts appear to be tight. The track is holding gauge reasonably well. It works for its current very limited purpose. If business warrants it that track will get upgraded. It's really that simple.
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