| Posted by mmi16 on March 20, 2015 | |
Crew is repairing a 'pull-apart' where the bolts in a bolted rail joint have been sheered. Heating the rail expands it so the joint can have joint bars and new bolts applied for the fix.
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| Posted by Gary on March 21, 2015 | |
Why not just use a set of hydraulic rail tensors?
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| Posted by xBNSFer on March 22, 2015 | |
Amazing they didn't light the whole (creosoted WOOD tie) deck of the bridge on fire!
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| Posted by mmi16 on April 13, 2015 | |
Hydraulic jacks would be over matched by the strength of the rail and would cost tens of thousands of dollars and probably be heavier than one or two men can safely handle. The 'fire rope' is placed on the base web of the rail and not on the ties. Heat has been used ever since man discovered that temperature change had an affect on metal. Cheap, Easy, Fixed!
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| Posted by Gary on April 14, 2015 | |
Hydraulic rail tensors are readily available kit carried by any maintenance of way organisation worth their salt. As for "costing tens of thousands", they cost about as much as 3 pieces of 60 foot rail (certainly a tiny fraction of the cost of down time and a new bridge if it burned down) and can be carried and set up by a couple of men easily off the back of that pick-up. Would take probably 5 minutes to pull that rail back to weld or joint bar.
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