Re: Busy Weekend in Como - cutting rail

Stewart Rhine Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> More important is the air temperature when the
> switch is assembled. If the swing rails are
> cropped with a 1/4" gap on a 45 degree day, the
> swing rails may bind the stock rail on a sunny,
> 80+ degree day. That's one thing about stub
> switches in areas that get broad ranges in
> temperatures. I've had to pour a bucket of cold
> water on the swing rails of a stub switch that
> jammed on a hot day.
>
> One of my favorite stub switches:
> [attachment 66075 9at3wayswitch.jpg]

Hope you don't mind a NNG reply to this. My experience with adjusting switch stands is limited to the early Ramapo rigid & safety stands. Those stands on old timbers were pretty forgiving and not much was needed to keep them adjusted. However, when we renewed the wood and made everything tight, we had issues like Stewart describes. In cold weather, the stands couldn't be latched, and in hot weather, the points wouldn't fit up to the stock rails snugly if left un-adjusted. We had 24 switches, including a single slip, that were in regular use and we replaced all the wood in the switches during my time. I found that in the early summer if I lengthened the eye bolt (screw crank) on the bottom of the stand a half turn, the stand would latch up properly until cold weather set in and then a half turn back would bring the stand back into proper adjustment. The RR had a copy of Ramapo switch stand installation instructions in the archives, and I always made a photo copy of it when having to tend to stand. The copy saved a lot of time and head scratching trying to figure out how to bring a stand into proper adjustment. I'm sharing this in the hopes a trackmen sees it, and the next time he has to adjust one, the instructions will help.