Spare Track

We've all seen these pieces of track on the side of the roadbed. The question I have is, "Can we get away with modeling this on our layouts, or does it just look like we left a piece of snap-track on the table?"

 

I guess if you just left a piece of snap track sitting on the layout it would look like a piece of snap track

However, if you heated it up and bent it a little so it would conform to the terrain along side your main line just like the photo (near a really important junction where these pieces of track tend to be) you would also need to make sure that it sits in the scenery and not just on top of it (the photo shows grass growing up around the ties - some ties are almost buried in the ballast from the main as well.) And of course the rail should not be shinny at all! Also - trim off the ends of the track so you don't have any of those wierd 'end of a piece of snap track' ties that make room for rail joiners. That would look out of place.

If you have an old damaged turnout you could hack out the frog and put it next to a major junction as well - I have seen this before at very important junctions.

 

Guys, here is a switch up at the BNSF yards just north of Ft.Worth, across from one of the flour mills. I laid a seven foot 2x4 across that dip in the right rail, and measured 6-1/4" for the total dip. That is scarey! It is another reason to spring your trucks if you are going to have protypical track!HA!


[ 09 July 2001: Message edited by: watash ]

 

This is an often neglected detail. With Rob's tips, snap track can be adapted very well. I also save scraps of single rail to stack trackside, or left lying loose on the ties between the working rails.

 

I have seen old rail stuck perpendicular in the ground and used for fence posts at some locations along the right away. One location that comes to mind is the parking lot at the old Palmer, Massachusetts station.

 

LOL , you guys crack me up

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by DaveCN5623:
LOL , you guys crack me up <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I guess I don't get the joke...

 

watash... there is a long (about 1-2miles) siding with rail laid just as bad as thatpicture in Fort Worth. Only grass and weeds were acting as ballast. and I don't think there has been a train on it for about 4 years. I was railfanning (it's along a mainline) last saturday and heard over the scanner that CSX 709 (SD70MAC #709 on the point) was gonna enter the siding I heard the train coming and I got close and it stopped. the brakeman said to stay a good distance from the train, he said he wouldn't be surprised if at least 3 cars rolled over, anyway the SD70 creeped on the siding and you could hear the rails screaming 10 miles away, I backed a away when a loaded hopper started to sway over to one side (more than you would believe). any way the train was fully on the siding and them CSX 6092 & 8076 whizzed by with an empty coal train. about 1/2 hour later the train creeped out of the siding and continued on to grafton. I looked around a little onger and looked at section of rail. THE RAIL HEAD WAS ONLY ABOUT 1.25 inches wide! I hope that CSX get's around to eitjer 1, redoing the trackage, or two ripp it up be cause that's really bad chance to take.

 

Pat,

Wow That had to be exciting. I hope they get it fixed too.

 

That siding sounds like it would qualify as 'high-speed' mainline on some railroads.

The concept of pre-building track has become very popular in that a crew can spend the time to build the section without tying up a busy mainline and then when the time is available simply cut out the old section and drag the new section into place with a dozer or loader. The real railroads have taken a que from the modelers on this one, so Atlas snap track is actually now prototype.

The process is commonly used for highway crossing replacements and switch renewals. Amtrak even has specially outfitted cars to carry pre-built switches to a construction site. CP builds entire switches on site just like crossings. There are even stockpiles of pre-built panels used in case of derailments to get the track opened sooner. 39 foot sections of snap track can be trucked or loaded onto railcars to be sent to a wreck site quickly. Once the dust settles the stick rail is removed from the newly installed panels and welded rail is spliced in. A very efficient process for busy mainlines. Idle trains can't earn money!

 

So I guess we could call this

"railroads modeling model railroads?"

And if we add a model modeling on the railroad, then I guess we can call it a

"Model modeling on railroads modeling model railroads."

And if we add a model modeling rails, then I guess we can call it a

"Model modeling rails on railroads modeling model railroads."

And one last one to push Mr. Knox over the edge: If the model is modeling model rail and standing on the railroad, then i guess we can call this a

Model modeling model rails on railroads modeling model railroads!!!!

Doctor Suess was a genious...

[ 24 April 2001: Message edited by: Benny ]

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by CPRailfan:
Pat,

Wow That had to be exciting. I hope they get it fixed too.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

yes, I bet you've never seen Radial trucks go though their WHOLE, supension rate in 15 yards either!!

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Benny:
So I guess we could call this

"railroads modeling model railroads?"
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

There are other examples. Apperently the CTA (Chicago Transit Autority - The "El Trains") are experimenting with PLASTIC ties! I wonder if they have wood grain molded into them - we should let them know that if they don't weather them, they will never look real.

 

About 30yrs ago on the Conrail(?)line that ran from CT up to Montreal, mostly up the Connecticut river valley, an Amtrak Montrealer heading north out of Brattleboro, VT fell over in a washout just north of Charlestown, NH. Well I was the local radio newsman, I got the first report over the AP about 3something in the AM when it happened, grabbed a tape recorder after I got off the air and drove down to the site. Got an interview with the road forman, no serious injuries, only the engine I think it was an F7(?)and the B unit tipped over, engineer and brakeman had cuts and bruises. Amtrak already running under 10mph slow orders, actually that track was in such bad shape, almost all the trackage in New Hampshire on that line was 10mph. Anyway, later that day I saw them building a 'shoo-fly' and they were using 'snap-track' each piece about 50' long. Had it built by that evening and the line was reopened. Sold the story to the AP and received a munificent sum of $5.00.

 

Here is some more spare track. This time more the way you would expect to see it.



This stack is in the railyard of the Danbury Railway Museum.

 

Just for the record folks...
panel track is NOT something railroads have taken
from model railroading snap track. Panel track
is as old as railroading itself.

 

When it comes to track, here is something we all take for granted--the rail joiner. How many of us have forgotten that rails must be joined both physically and electrically? Does modern technology reduce the need for the electrical connection?