Railroad Ties Made From Recycled Plastics??!!

[zapp]

I know we have a few composite cross ties on the Duncan Sub. The Rock Island installed them many moons ago and they are holding up really well, and I was thinking at Atoka, Ok. we had a few feet of a plastic/chip combination wood ties that are pretty old as well. I believe that because we don't run as many trains on the Duncan Sub. as it saw in it's hey-day has prolonged the life of these ties. If they were on the McAlester side they wouldn't hold up as well.  

[Dakguy201]

Amtrak-owned ties will be dyed with red ink. 

 

                              

[Limitedclear]

I visited the Transportation Technology Center Inc. in Pueblo last month and saw several varieties of plastic ties that have been on the test track for years. For example, US Plastic Lumber (which supplied the ties for CTA) has had some ties that were installed in May 1997; 1.2 billion gross tons have run over them since. They seem to be holding up just fine.

Further, Bay Area Rapid Transit is replacing 2,000 ties with plastic versions. Check out this video. http://www.bart.gov/news/barttv/. The video in question is on page 2, dated April 16.

Now I've got to get back to deadlines. You do want your July issue on time, don't you? Just FYI, we're beginning design work on the September issue next week. It is still April outside, right? I'm so confused!!!

Kat

Eeaaa-Z there Kathi...

We don't want Railroad Reading in front of the Table of Contents come Labor Day (one of the all too few official railroad holidays) and we can't have you worrying about it, we wouldn't want you to get premature wrinkles from that...

Interesting that the plastic tie crowd is growing. Looks like many of them are still in light loading applications like transit or specialty locations.

LC

[Limitedclear]

Was just perusing the April 2007 issue of Progressive Railroading (PR hmmmm wonder why they chose that name...lol). The one with "MOW Dollars" on the front cover and the informal survey of Class 1s, Regionals, Short Lines and some Commuter and Transit properties. Of the lines surveyed only UP showed composite ties being installed and only NYC MTA showed plastic ties being installed in the transit (subway) part of their operations.

LC 

 

 

[dynahoe]

Here is the website for the company that makes the plastic ties.  http://www.natk.com

It will give you information on the plastic ties. 

 

[spokyone]

Here is the website for the company that makes the plastic ties.  http://www.natk.com

It will give you information on the plastic ties. 

 

The savings in dollars are huge. How many years to recoup investment?

[Choo-Choo Pete]

At the same token, what if you mix recycle plastic with recycle rubber with compounds to stablizie the chemical effects of the enviroments? i.e. expansion, contractions, UV, etc. 

[HarveyK400]

Seems to me recycled plastic would act as a filler with fiberglass and epoxy resin to provide the requisite wear, strength, rigidity, and dimensional stability.

Ties might be formed by rolling layers of fiberglass fabric, recycled plastic filler, and resin before molding with additional recycled plastic (like a tire) for tie plate seats and ballast-gripping nubs.  Ties may need to be drilled for screw-holding inserts after molding that would be glued in place.

One issue may be weight inasmuch as tie mass improves track stability, a benefit of concrete.

Harvey