Rader Sidetrack Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sharrod Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Is the highway department responsible for
> lowering
> > the road back to the railhead?
>
>
> The FRA says that RR crossing maintenance is the
> railroad's responsibility.
>
> [attachment 93501
> FRAScreenshotfrom2024-03-1718-44-46.jpg]
>
>
> That FRA PDF is available at this download link:
> [url=https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc
> =s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwii69HYrvyEAxWZF1kFHaT
> eBuk4ChAWegQICxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Frailroads.dot.
> gov%2Fsites%2Ffra.dot.gov%2Ffiles%2F2019-11%2FGrad
> e%2520Crossing%2520Resource%2520Guide%2520022015.p
> df&usg=AOvVaw0i909LmDOYEofGO8Qri9qT&opi=89978449]F
> RA Grade Crossing Resource Guide 022015.pdf[/url]
>
> The EBT might well wish to dig that crossing up
> anyway -- the ties underneath the pavement are --
> at best -- [i]ancient[/i].
And don't forget the rail. Here in the Northeast, salt will erode the base and web of the rail until they are paper thin. I replaced rail in crossings that had almost full rail heads but had fractured ( I'm pretty sure a highway snowplow hit the head of rail and it snapped on at least 2 separate occasions) and had to be changed out. The rail I worked with was 80 ASCE, which is 5" wide at the base and 5" high. When we changed out those crossing rails, it was normal to find the base of the rail had rusted away until only about 3 1/2" remained. Yikes.
The other way to find out the rail needs replacing is to have a wide gauge condition in the crossing. Temporary fixes, like gauge rods to bring the rail back into gauge until the weather can permit a rebuild won't work if the base of the rail is gone or is too thin for the gauge rod to grasp. Been there, got the t-shirt. It wasn't fun.
