Re: Old versus Modern Track laying methods

All of our trackwork at SFHM was laid by hand. We have curves up to 18 degrees (sharper in a couple of places by accident) and most of our rail is 60# with a smattering of 56, 75 and a few sticks of 90. 6 guys did all of the work.

The worst about what we did is that we had to use old rail (most of it rolled in 1914, but some as old as 1881) and once rail is laid it develops a set or pattern of its own. One of the things that we learned is that if we picked up rail that had been in a curve, that we had to relay it going the same way. It was simply impossible to relay it and bend it the other way and keep things in gauge.

The only time that we have used a rail bender is to take out a short kink or something like that, so as to make a particular joint more serviceable than it otherwise would be.