In viewing the photos of the tie instalation, it looks like every tie that had any cracks or was slightly rail cut was removed. This is money in the bank that will pay interest for 50 plus years to come. This is beyond Class 6, as the required Class 3 would permit 8 to ten bad ties per rail length, as long as any good ties do not have more than 1/2" wide gauge, or working movement to that amount in the rail or spike. To be a failed tie, it must be broken, or split enough to let ballast come up through the split, or be rail/plate cut over 2.4" deep. The FRA need not ever violate their jurisdictional limits to even look over this NARROW GAUGE track for gage or tie condition.
To put it in simple terms - this track will out live anyone reading this now, without any repeat program like this in our life time. In that dry climate, very low axle loading, no freight, and high on fresh stone, a solid tie will last 80-100 years. Only sand storms will damage that track and the C&TS might someday invent a on-rail vacuum cleaner to remove the drifting sands (and cinders) to maintain good drainage.
The Jordan Spreader must be kept in service for annual travels to bad spots. Its a very valuable machine for this line as its wings go farther out than new ballast regulators.
I hope the C&TS used the correct gage of 36" on tangent and up to 10 degrees, where 1/4" gage is added for each 10 degrees of curve. The 1/4" change in gage must not be in less than 31' of track leading into and out of the sharp curves. With many sharp curves on the line, care must be taken to adjust the track gauge tool that is being used. The curve can be measured by holding a 62 foot long string/cord (as a chord) and the inches at the center to the rail is the degree of the curve.
This increase of gage is the same for NG as SG as the wheel width size and profiles are the same.
