Western Railroad Discussion > Did/Do RRs ever transpose rail?

Both rails, that is. RRs used to (and still do?)
move the worn rail on the outside of a curve
to the inside of the curve on the same track,
so wheels start wearing out the previously-
untouched side of the rail.

But did/do they always replace the outside rail
with new rail? Or do they ever move the inside
rail to the outside?

I believe that long ago they did transpose rail in curves from outside to inside, but in today's age, they have found that the inside rail wears too, just in a different way, so they don't transpose anymore. I am sure others on Trainorders will provide more detailed information.

use to be done quite often but rail engineers have found the worn tread and head wear isn't suitable for today's heavier trains

Here is a picture of rails being transposed during the 1970's.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=415451&nseq=60

Heard it caused premature breakage as it developed "memory" to some extent from the wear hardening.

Posted from Android

Back on Donner when the rail was 39 ft lengths and it could be turned end for end with a 15A Burro crane, the high rail would be transposed to regain proper gauge from curve wear and the low rail not touched unless necessary for wear or defect.
This became almost an impossible task when 78Ft rails became standard. Then the procedure was to set the curve worn hi rail the low side of the curve and scrap the low rail. This procedure was called a hi to low set down. This procedure was used after the curve rail was replaced, on all curves including 10 deg., with CWR.

JLY Wrote:
---------------------
> Back on Donner when the rail was 39 ft lengths and
> it could be turned end for end with a 15A Burro
> crane, the high rail would be transposed to regain
> proper gauge from curve wear and the low rail not
> touched unless necessary for wear or defect.

Thanks for that-- never heard of turning rails 180 deg
and relaying them. Did other RRs do that on curvy
lines in 39-foot-rail days?

> This became almost an impossible task when 78Ft
> rails became standard. Then the procedure was to
> set the curve worn hi rail the low side of the
> curve and scrap the low rail. This procedure was
> called a hi to low set down. This procedure was
> used after the curve rail was replaced, on all
> curves including 10 deg., with CWR.

Ouch! CWR gets shifted from the high side to the
low side? The rail gets cut at each end of each curve?

timz2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> JLY Wrote:
> ---------------------
> > Back on Donner when the rail was 39 ft lengths
> and
> > it could be turned end for end with a 15A Burro
> > crane, the high rail would be transposed to
> regain
> > proper gauge from curve wear and the low rail
> not
> > touched unless necessary for wear or defect.
>
> Thanks for that-- never heard of turning rails 180
> deg
> and relaying them. Did other RRs do that on curvy
> lines in 39-foot-rail days?
>
> > This became almost an impossible task when 78Ft
> > rails became standard. Then the procedure was
> to
> > set the curve worn hi rail the low side of the
> > curve and scrap the low rail. This procedure
> was
> > called a hi to low set down. This procedure was
> > used after the curve rail was replaced, on all
> > curves including 10 deg., with CWR.
>
> Ouch! CWR gets shifted from the high side to the
> low side? The rail gets cut at each end of each
> curve?

Thats why the friction saws and boutet welds were popular on the Rail Laying gangs.

timz2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for that-- never heard of turning rails 180
> deg and relaying them. Did other RRs do that on curvy
> lines in 39-foot-rail days?

Not really applicable to your question, but the Manitou & Pike's Peak cog railroad turns its rack rails 180 degrees. The "uphill" side of the rack gets all the wear so when it becomes too worn, they flip it end-for-end and wear down what had been the "downhill" side before it finally goes to scrap.

All this work is done by hand, it helps that the rack rails come in very short sections, something on the order of 6 or 7 feet. According to the good folks at M&PP, each side of the rack rail is good for about 8 years of service.

And that's your drink from the Fountain Of Useless Information for today....

NZ

---