Rail lengths
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Railway rail is manufactured in standard lengths so that when a rail needs to be replaced for any reason a replacement rail is of the right size. There is always a need to cut "closure" rails to close uneven gaps.
Since joints between are a weak spot, rails are made as long as the current manufacturing technology allows although they cannot be any longer than the end-user can handle.
If new technology allows for longer rails, the new length is typically a whole number multiple of the previous size, such as 15 feet, 30 feet and 60 feet. 45 feet is also a multiple of 15 feet.
Really early rails were 3 feet long (1 yard), and 15 feet and 24 feet are whole multiples of 3 feet.
The earliest rails of 3 feet (1 yard) long, may explain why rail weights are measured in pounds per yard (lb/yd), 3 feet equalling 1 yard.
To allow rails to be transported, they cannot of course be too long, as they may exceed the capacity of available rolling stock. Since steel rails do bend to some extent, they can be carried on more than one wagon, with suitable bolsters, and are able to follow curves up to a point.
Joints[edit]
There is always a need to join adjacent sections of rail, such as:
- common chairs,
- fishplates and bolts,
- welding.
Damage[edit]
Rails tend to wear badly as their ends, and if you cut of these ends, what is left is a non standard length of rail. Welding and cutting can produce standard length rails plus offcuts.
Table[edit]
Press up/down arrow to sort data under that heading.
| Year | Rail Weight |
Rail Length |
Type | Material | Link | Detail | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 113lb/yd (56kg/m) | FB | ST | Cae Pawb | diamond crossing NR SG rail or bar |
FB=Flat Bottom ST=Steel | |
| 2010 | 080lb/yd (40kg/m) | FB | Cae Pawb | diamond crossing | closure/transition rail | ||
| 2010 | 060lb/yd (30kg/m) | BH | ST | Cae Pawb | diamond crossing FR NG rail | BH=Bull Head ST=Steel | |
| 1923 | ST | Cambrian Crossing | No rail weights mentioned | ||||
| 1922 | 045lb/yd (23kg/m) | FB | ST | Croesor Tramway | relay rail | Complete | |
| 1901 | 075lb/yd (37kg/m) | ?? | ST | Harbour Station | relay rail | ||
| 1922 | 041lb/yd (20kg/m) | 060ft ? | TW | ST | Croesor Junction | A4085 level crossing | TW=Tramway Rail |
| 2008 | 075lb/yd (37kg/m) | 120ft ? | FB | ST | Pen-y-mount | down loop line | with baseplates |
| 2008 | 050lb/yd (25kg/m) | FB | ST | Pen-y-mount | up loop line replaced with 75lb rails |
on baseplates & Pandrol clips | |
| 1836 | 015lb/yd (08kg/m) | ?? | ?? | Festiniog Railway | original rail for horses | OO [1] | |
| 1865 | 030lb/yd (15kg/m) | ?? | ?? | Festiniog Railway | heavier rail for locomotives not heavy enough |
HH [2] | |
| 1866 | 048lb/yd (24kg/m) | ?? | ?? | Festiniog Railway | still heavier rail for locomotives | II [3] | |
| 1868 | 038lb/yd (19kg/m) | FB | Festiniog and Blaenau Railway | FB=Flat Bottom | |||
| 1901 | 041lb/yd (20kg/m) | FB | Croesor Junction | relay for locomotive haulage | RR | ||
| 1863 | 020lb/yd (10kg/m) | IR ? ST ? |
Croesor Tramway | horse haulage | IR=Iron ST=Steel | ||
| 3066 | 120lb/yd (60kg/m) | 240ft ? | Railways are still there. | ||||
| 1066 | No railways then. | ||||||
| 1832 | 003ft ? | FI | CI WI |
Rail Types | FI=Fishbelly CI=Cast Iron WI=Wrought Iron | ||
| 2010 | 050lb/yd (25kg/m) | 024ft | DH | Day Log/1896-08-28 | DH=Double head | ||
| 1964 | 050lb/yd (25kg/m) | 024ft 030ft |
BH | Penrhyn Quarry Rail | Relay. Some welded |
Note: Leading zeros required to make columns sort properly
Rail Weights v Tractive Effort[edit]
Weak or light rails limit axleloads of locomotives and in turn limit tractive effort.
Stronger or heavier rails increase axleloads of locomotives and in turn increase tractive effort that increases train tonnages and/or train speeds.
When rails wear out the opportunity is often taken to replace with heavier rails. Also steel may replace iron in the rails,
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "ECONOMIC RAILWAYS". Morning Post (Cairns, Qld. : 1897 - 1907). Cairns, Qld.: National Library of Australia. 7 April 1898. p. 2. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
- ^ "THE RAILWAYS OF THE FUTURE". Hamilton Spectator (Vic. : 1870 - 1873; 1914 - 1918). Vic.: National Library of Australia. 14 May 1870. p. 1 Supplement: SUPPLEMENT TO THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
- ^ "THE RAILWAYS OF THE FUTURE". Hamilton Spectator (Vic. : 1870 - 1873; 1914 - 1918). Vic.: National Library of Australia. 14 May 1870. p. 1 Supplement: SUPPLEMENT TO THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR. Retrieved 27 September 2015.