Western Railroad Discussion > A piece of Pacific Electric Rail

What do these number mean?


Chris

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Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., Section   85 lb rail. Manufactured 1/1909.

Mike



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/21/21 20:13 by 2720.

I'll bet that those ties date back to the Carter Administration.
...Lorenzo

567Chant Wrote:
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> I'll bet that those ties date back to the Carter
> Administration.
> ...Lorenzo

No they're probably from The Gipper's time, same weather beaten wrinkles!

The tie plates are likely from Teddy Roosevelt thru Wilson.
Nobody went out and bought new tie plates in the 1970s and 80s for 85 lb rail.
Of course both the rail and their plates were once pemier main line rail back when it may have replaced 70 lb or smaller rail.
If this was on a PE main line, in its first position, that would limit it to the pre- 1910 time frame.
 

RRBaron Wrote:
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> 567Chant Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I'll bet that those ties date back to the
> Carter
> > Administration.
> > ...Lorenzo
>
> No they're probably from The Gipper's time, same
> weather beaten wrinkles!

Pre-dates the Gipper.  He was born 2/6/1911.
ALLEN

Ties are probably from FDR.

Can you pin-point a location for us? A photo from the field side of a rail joint showing the bonding wires would be helpful.
Thanks.

Charlie

This was on former Pacific Electric tracks in Bellflower, CA.  Interesting that the rail a few blocks away had the four digit year (1919 or 1921) and this section only had the two-digit year.

Elizabeth

Y2K, all over again.

Posted from Android

CedarRapids Wrote:
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> This was on former Pacific Electric tracks in
> Bellflower, CA.  Interesting that the rail a few
> blocks away had the four digit year (1919 or 1921)
> and this section only had the two-digit year.

The late Ira Swett, writing in his "Interurbans Special 60, Lines of Pacific Electric Southern & Western Districts"
went into considerable detail regarding the condition of the rail on the Santa Ana Line as it existed between 
Watts and Santa Ana in 1949.

He writes that the right of way was obtained in 1903 by 'Old' PE and that on October 1, 1904, the Los Angeles Interurban Railway; a
device often used by 'Old' Pacific Electric (as opposed to the 'New' PE which came into being after November 1, 1911), began
construction. The line was opened for service by LAIU on November 6, 1905. 'Old' PE leased the line from LAIU on July 1, 1908 and it 
became property of 'New' PE at the time of the Great Merger on November 1, 1911.

Specifically, Swett's 1949 description of the rail infrastructure in the vicinity of Bellflower, MP15.39 (with MP 0.0 at PE's 6th & Main St. station),
as; "At MP11.54, (3.85 miles west of Bellflower), 75 lb. rail began, laid in 1925; this was also in poor shape. 75 lb. rail continued to MP 12.00,
where 60 lb. rail, laid in 1905 resumed and continued to MP 15.68 (0.29 miles east of Bellflower).

So what does this all mean? At no point in Swett's narrative do I find any mention of 85 lb. rail on the entire line between Watts and Bellflower.
Plenty of 60, 70, 75, 90 even some 128 lb. down 4th St, in Santa Ana; but no 85 lb. Could Ira have been mistaken? Could the piece of rail
in Chris's photo have been placed sometime after 1949? Sure, all kinds of scenarios. At least these questions keep me from another night of 
mindless re-runs. I'd still like to see that bond wire and where this piece of railroad actually sat.

Thanks Chris and Elizabeth.

Charlie