Author Topic: Concrete ties for two-footers  (Read 8608 times)

Wayne Laepple

  • Museum Member
  • Yardmaster
  • *******
  • Posts: 2,123
    • View Profile
Concrete ties for two-footers
« on: October 22, 2018, 06:03:09 PM »
Here's an interesting piece that describes in some detail the operations of the sugar cane railways in Queensland, Australia, as part of a case study for the use of concrete ties and Pandrol fasteners. It should be noted that there is over 2,600 miles of two-foot gauge track in Queensland!

http://www.pandrol.com/case-study-pdf/TR01_p23-25.pdf

Mike Fox

  • Museum Member
  • Empire Builder
  • ********
  • Posts: 5,634
    • View Profile
Re: Concrete ties for two-footers
« Reply #1 on: October 22, 2018, 07:25:21 PM »
Impressive looking track
Mike
Doing way too much to list...

Dag Bonnedal

  • Switchman
  • **
  • Posts: 53
  • Working with 2 ft steam in Mariefred, Sweden
    • View Profile
    • Östra Södermanlands Järnväg
Re: Concrete ties for two-footers
« Reply #2 on: October 23, 2018, 03:57:28 AM »
Interesting.
I visited the Polish 600 mm railways a few times in the late 1970-ties, when steam still reigned.
There they had quite a lot of concrete ties. Although there was some kind of resilience pads between the rail and the tie, I remember it was very noisy and uncomfortable to ride over these "modernized" stretches.

Talking about Australian ties, we bought a load of Australian Eucalyptus/Jarrah ties in the mid 80-ties. They are still in reasonable good shape. But we never repeated it, went back to creosote impregnated spruce ties instead. Except for the extension of the line (between Läggesta and Taxinge) were we could "borrow" a full (std. gauge) train load of used European beech wood ties from the Swedish national rail. Borrowing means that we can return them for destruction when we take them out of the track.
There is an ongoing debate within the European Union on the use of creosote. They want to ban it totally, but it would be a catastrophe for all preserved railways. And no one has been able to prove them to be a real environmental hazard when used in the track.

What kind of ties and impregnation do you use on WW&F?
« Last Edit: October 23, 2018, 04:00:32 AM by Dag Bonnedal »

Mike Fox

  • Museum Member
  • Empire Builder
  • ********
  • Posts: 5,634
    • View Profile
Re: Concrete ties for two-footers
« Reply #3 on: October 23, 2018, 06:04:28 AM »
Currently we are using used CCA Pressure Treated ties, that started off life as guard rail posts in the State of New Hampshire. We also have some used standard guage ties that were cut to 5 feet. Some of those are reaching the end of their life.
Mike
Doing way too much to list...

Jeff Schumaker

  • Museum Member
  • Inspector
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,350
    • View Profile
Re: Concrete ties for two-footers
« Reply #4 on: October 23, 2018, 08:35:55 AM »
Before the remodeling of bays 2 and 3, the track there had concrete ties. Bay 1 may still have them.

Jeff S.
Hey Rocky, watch me pull a moose trout out of my hat.

James Patten

  • Administrator
  • Superintendent
  • *****
  • Posts: 4,216
  • Loco for 6
    • View Profile
Re: Concrete ties for two-footers
« Reply #5 on: October 23, 2018, 08:53:47 AM »
Bay 1 still has the concrete ties.  They were made by the son of an early volunteer who owned a concrete company and would pour the remainder of jobs into a concrete tie form.  There were only enough for Bay 1 (about 26 ties) and a few extra for the other bays (maybe 10 more).  A good cheap solution at a time when the organization had very little money.

John L Dobson

  • Museum Member
  • Hostler
  • ***
  • Posts: 216
    • View Profile
Re: Concrete ties for two-footers
« Reply #6 on: October 23, 2018, 09:37:43 AM »
When we started rebuilding the Welsh Highland Railway in the mid-1990s, much of the track was laid using second-hand steel ties (and 60lb/ft rail) bought from a line in South Africa that had been abandoned. We then used a mixture of new steel and new hardwood ties (with new 30kg/metre rail) to complete the line. Current Ffestiniog and WHR practice is to use ties made from recycled plastic for both plain track and turnouts, with cast steel baseplates and screw spikes, with 30kg rail. The plastic ties cost slightly more than wood or steel but have a much longer projected service life, and can be further recycled when removed from use.
John L Dobson
Editor, FR Magazine

Dag Bonnedal

  • Switchman
  • **
  • Posts: 53
  • Working with 2 ft steam in Mariefred, Sweden
    • View Profile
    • Östra Södermanlands Järnväg
Re: Concrete ties for two-footers
« Reply #7 on: October 23, 2018, 02:56:39 PM »
Currently we are using used CCA Pressure Treated ties, that started off life as guard rail posts in the State of New Hampshire. We also have some used standard guage ties that were cut to 5 feet. Some of those are reaching the end of their life.

I see, CCA has been banned from this type of use in Scandinavia for the last 10 years.

Benjamin Richards

  • Museum Member
  • Fireman
  • ****
  • Posts: 358
    • View Profile
Re: Concrete ties for two-footers
« Reply #8 on: October 23, 2018, 03:23:13 PM »
CCA is banned for residential use in the US since 2004 due to concerns about the metals leeching out of the wood, but is still allowed for commercial/industrial uses.

That ACQ stuff they replaced it with is brutal on steel fasteners, though...you can almost watch it corrode away.