Trackwelder

[Guest]

The question has come up over the last year or so as to how to weld railroad track...you seem knowledgeable in the field..
How is it done? Automatic? MIG, Stick, or what? What are the considerations in welding it? For repair? or for new track? What alignment tools are used?

I'm just curoius. Inquiring minds want to know this stuff.

[dseman]

Well Rocky, I don't know how they weld it now, but a while ago they used to do it this way:

https://www.railroadextra.com/tkweld.Html

Hope you enjoy the article as much as I did

-dseman

[Guest]

Originally posted by dseman
Well Rocky, I don't know how they weld it now, but a while ago they used to do it this way:

https://www.railroadextra.com/tkweld.Html

Hope you enjoy the article as much as I did

-dseman

Facinating article...when you see the things they used to do, ya wonder.....ya just wonder. I have run across a weldor who described how he used oxy-acetylene, a # 12 tip and so on. That back at the turn of the last century as well. Ya just wonder...

[dseman]

I really enjoy lookng 'back' to see how manufacturing/repair processes used to be performed. It really gives me an appreciation for the current tools and processes we have now.

Here's another link for track repair--going
back maybe 60 years instead of the 100 years of the previous article:

https://www.tinmantech.com/html/faq_railroad_welding.html

This one sounds like the description you have heard--using a large O/A torch with
a number 12 tip.

-dseman

[dseman]

Forgot to mention that at the bottom of the tinman article is a 'next' button. The next article describes arc welding the rail with 300 amps.

-dseman

[Dave Haak]

Flash Butt Welding

Navigate around this site. It doesn't go into a lot of detail.


http://www.railtech.fr/soudure_electrique_en.htm

Dave

[trackwelder]

Rocky
Hi we use several different methods to weld on the railroad.Most of the mainline is cwr or continuous weld rail.The rail comes to us in quarter mile strings and we use a thermit process to weld the strings together.

The # twelve tip was when we use to gas weld high carbon rail ends.We seldom gas weld anymore except when it is raining and it is not safe to electric weld.Most of the welding repairs are done with stick welding using 3/16 and 1/4 electrodes for heavy deposit rates.We also have wire feeder suitcases with 5/32 flux cored wire for the big job.

Most of our heavy welding work is on frog castings in the switch areas.The train wheels pound on the castings and cracks and holes develop and we grind or airarc out the damage .Then we use a hardfacing rod to fill in the defects and grind and shape the repair to specification.

Our equipment consists of heavy service truck with a miller 400amp airpak,miller suitcase,rail pullers,several torches, hand tools,and several other back breaking items.

If your interested in anything else just let me know.

[Dave Haak]

Found pictures!

http://www.thermitwelding.demon.co.uk/profile.html

Dave

[Guest]

Originally posted by trackwelder
Rocky
Hi we use several different methods to weld on the railroad.Most of the mainline is cwr or continuous weld rail.The rail comes to us in quarter mile strings and we use a thermit process to weld the strings together.

The # twelve tip was when we use to gas weld high carbon rail ends.We seldom gas weld anymore except when it is raining and it is not safe to electric weld.Most of the welding repairs are done with stick welding using 3/16 and 1/4 electrodes for heavy deposit rates.We also have wire feeder suitcases with 5/32 flux cored wire for the big job.

Most of our heavy welding work is on frog castings in the switch areas.The train wheels pound on the castings and cracks and holes develop and we grind or airarc out the damage .Then we use a hardfacing rod to fill in the defects and grind and shape the repair to specification.

Our equipment consists of heavy service truck with a miller 400amp airpak,miller suitcase,rail pullers,several torches, hand tools,and several other back breaking items.

If your interested in anything else just let me know.

Yeah, thanks for the interesting reply....facinating to say the least! How do you handle or transport a 1/4 mile of track???

[Northweldor]

RockyD

You mean other than using a 1/4 mile long train?? http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/...es/biggrin.gif

[Dave Haak]

trackwelder,

Can you get a pic of some being delivered? I'm trying to get a visual of what would be involved. There would have to be allowance for side flex and front to back movement. I'm guessing special rail cars just for this purpose? Also a way to get them off one or two at a time, to string them where needed.

Dave

trackwelder,

Are your setups anything like the ones on the links below?

[Dave Haak]

I might have found something.............

http://www.railway-technology.com/contractors/engineering/stahlberg/stahlberg4.html

Dave

[Dave Haak]

And one more....................

http://www.railway-technology.com/contractors/engineering/stahlberg/stahlberg3.html

Dave

[trackwelder]

The pictures that dave has posted are similar to what we use.The rail is load in special rail cars from the welding plant and secured in the middle with the anchor car.Some of the trains have a threader car on the end that will pull the rail out and when there is enough on the side of the track the engineer will pull forward very slowly and the rail will be pulled off the cars.When the end of a string approaches there is a box car where we can hook up another rail with track bars and bolts and start moving ahead to unload more rail.

There is a curve patch gang scheduled this summer I will try to get some pictures when we unload the trains.

[Guest]

...and to think that they did all this 150 years ago with little Chinese guys.....they haven't forgotten, it seems, as they are trying to get us to buy their gas torches now!

Thanks for all this info, Trackwelder...it's is facinating...very anxious to see your pictures!