Re: Pile Bent versus Timber Bent trestles

The ideal situation with piling is to be able to go to bed rock. This doesn't often happen, espcially here in the prairie country. So, piling is driven until the resistamce is such that the
blows hardly move it at all. Rock, at the surface or close to it is no doubt the most reliable base
but if the soil is shallow it rules out piling so
you go to the mud sills. For the 15" gauge bridges we have built we used mud sills made of old bridge timbers or poured a concrete slab to set the sill on, depending on the soil.
Next to a steam locomotive with well set valves, the sound of a steam pile driver was one of the most satisfying sounds. When you heard that rythmic "Kachuck...THUD...kachuck...THUD.., you
knew we were getting work done.
Jim