I saw the most amazing train today.

[Tom V]

No picture. Sorry about that.

The freight train I saw today instantly caught my attention. It was very unusual. I've never seen anything like it.

It was a train carrying what I think were railroad tracks. The continuous track was far longer than a train car, they were about 40 (?) cars long. I would have to guess the cargo was a half mile long. The cars had racks that held perhaps 25 rails, and each rails ran the length of the train. On few cars, there were extra racks that held a couple of chairs - evidently for someone to sit on and view the load of rails. The front locomotive was followed by a couple of flat cars with special equipment, which I presumed to be track laying machines. Then dozens of rail-carrying cars followed supporting the continous items, in which I could see no breaks.

At first I thought it impossible, because how could the steel rails bend as the train negotiated curves? Then I realized that the railroad tracks were curved themselves, so any thing the track could do, the cargo could do.

I wonder what the loading / unloading procedure is. I wonder how they create such long items. And I wonder why I've never seen such a thing before. With all the railroad tracks in the USA, I don't recall ever seeing tracks ON a train before.

Something new is fun to see / do / think about / try.

I also went kayaking for the first time today.

[coolrun]

It's a welded rail train. That's how they put down new track, in one long section. The smaller sections are welded together at the steel mill, and then the long sections are welded together once they are put down on the roadbed.

You would think the long rails wouldn't bend as they are carried in railcars, but they do.

Before the use of welded rail, lengths of rail could only be 39 feet long so the they could be carried in the standard 40 foot gondola car.

There are many benefits to welded rail, such as ease of maintenance. However, if there is a train wreck, the damaged rails can lash out like a whip.

http://www.mnnr.org/railroads/welded-rail/

http://forums.railfan.net/forums.cgi?board=Infrastructure;action=display;num =1058056033

http://www.bnsffoamer.com/backpages/Welded1.htm

http://www.vre.org/feedback/frequently_asked_questions/faq_heat_orders.htm

[Steve Wynn]

Thanks Coolrun,

I've seen the long sections of track laid out ready to put down some years back but it never dawned on me to question how they got it there.

Steve

[S_Leeper]

"At first I thought it impossible, because how could the steel rails bend as the train negotiated curves? Then I realized that the railroad tracks were curved themselves, so any thing the track could do, the cargo could do."

I once saw a photo of a train that crashed & was carrying welded rails. The topic of the related article was on sin (as in geometry, like cosine) functions... the rails formed a nearly perfect sin curve.

Also, if you want to amazing things move go over the Tacoma Narrow bridge. On a windy day you will be amazed how fluid concrete & steel can be.
When you drive over it just remember that they fixed it so it won't fall down like the last one!!!