About the Author J. D. Santucci (a.k.a. "Tuch") began his railroading career in 1978 as a trainman on the Missouri Pacific. After a round of lay-offs in 1985, Tuch embarked on a railroad odyssey, working in many different situations for different roads. This column tries to explain some of the nuts and bolts of the job and also demonstrates what we have to deal with on a regular basis within and without the industry. Tuch currently works through freights out of Chicago for Canadian National/Illinois Central. ©1999, 2003-2007 JD Santucci. Logo ©2002 The Railroad Network. By J.D. Santucci

May 12, 2003

One of the great misnomers of railroading is the one that commonly refers to the rail as iron. Once upon a time rail was made from iron. Before that it some of it was made from wood with strips of iron laid upon the top of it. Today though, rail is made out of steel. It has been rolled from steel for over one hundred years now. Nonetheless, the rail will probably continue to be called iron long after I’m dead and gone. Main line rail is frequently referred to as the high iron as it is generally heavier rail that stands a little taller or higher as it were, than rail used in the yard or on industry track. An improperly lined switch is routinely referred to as a bad iron. The iron term is also carried over to the very name of this little column as you have likely noted. Think about it though, doesn’t the term “high iron” sound better and flow smoother than “high steel?” Even though Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band did a song called “Twin Ribbons of Steel”, I still think high iron just sounds better.

From the advent of the steel rail used to replace that which was formerly rolled from iron, there has been continuous and extensive research done to improve the quality of the component steel used in the rail making process. The metallurgy of the steel used to make the rail is has been studied, researched and improved significantly over the years. Today’s premium rail is far superior to that which was produced just twenty-five years ago. It comes delivered with a harder head for longer and better wear. It’s not just steel anymore.

Rail comes in different weights determined by the yard. For example, 119 lb rail indicates this size of rail weighs 119 lbs per three foot section or yard. The higher the weight number, the heavier the rail. And the heavier the rail, the higher or taller it stands; hence that popular railroad slang term, high iron. Also, the heavier the rail, the better it wears and longer it lasts. The kinking in the rail that can develop under intense summer heat is also reduced. This is not to say that it won’t kink because it does. But it tends not to happen as commonly or as bad, especially if the roadbed and track structure including rail anchors that help keep the rail from running is well maintained.

Friend and former railroad Roadmaster Mark Lynn forwarded the following information on rail expansion.

“The coefficient of thermal expansion for steel is 0.00000645in/in/deg. Doesn't sound like much but when you run out the numbers it comes to .405504 ft/mile/deg. Still doesn't sound like much, only about 5". Then multiply by 40 degrees and you get a piece of rail that has grown by 16.22 feet in that one mile. It's not at all unusual for the rail temp to go from say, 40 deg to 80 deg on a spring or fall day. Remember that on a sunny day, the rail temp can be significantly higher than the air temp as well.

It has to go somewhere. In the old days, that growth was taken up by joints in the rails and sun kinks (oops, thermal misalignment is the correct expression these days) were pretty uncommon. Today, with a well-maintained railroad not having any joints perhaps for several miles, where does it go?

As an engineer, you've probably noticed that the track seems to get just a little squigglier in the summertime. Some of that growth is being taken up in the tie plates, since they are not a precise fit with the base of the rail. That's typically what you're seeing there. At the bottom of hills and sags, the rail tends to get bunched up as trains coming down the hill push rail ahead of them and trains climbing tend to push it downhill as well as they fight for traction. If the ballast section is not sufficient or if there has been track work recently and the ballast is not fully compacted, that's a likely spot for the rail to head for the ditch. This may happen suddenly in front of a train, under a train, or in extreme cases, by itself. It will also want to pop out of the high side of a curve if the ballast section is thin.”

Mark is correct in the comment about the rail appearing a little more “squigglier” in the summer. In fact, it often looks like cooked spaghetti or a thin stream of water rippling in the breeze. The ride is also noticeably rougher as well. Many railroads apply speed restrictions of some nature on extremely hot days. CNIC has special instructions in place that requires freight train speeds to be reduced from 60 to 50 MPH when the temperature is 90° or higher and on subdivisions where the normal timetable speed is lower, maximum speed must reduced by 10 MPH but not lower than 30 MPH. Amtrak must reduce from 79 MPH to 65 MPH.

For years rail was rolled into thirty-nine foot lengths. This length is a direct contributor to harmonic rock (rock and roll as it is often called) that requires Engineers to minimize operating in between the speeds of 13 and 19 MPH on jointed rail. Today, a greater percentage of the rail that is manufactured is rolled in lengths of seventy-eight feet. When manufactured, rail is hot rolled from ingots. It is not cast in forms with molten steel. If you look at the side of rail, you will see numbers and letters on the web. These numbers include the weight of the rail and the year it was rolled. Some rail includes the name of the steel company that produced it as well.

Rail that is a few years old is actually better rail than when it is brand new. As locomotives and rail cars travel over the rail head, the steel in it actually hardens. A common term in the industry describes it as “wear hardened rail.” However, over a period of many years, the head can get too hard and such problems can develop as corrugation. This creates and rough and uneven surface on the ball. From years of tonnage rolling across it the ball will also flatten out and become misshapen. Other problems can crop up with rail as it ages such as internal cracks.

Jointed rail is rail that is joined together by the use of nuts, bolts and angle bars (the bars you see in between the joints on the sides of rail). It tends to be more maintenance intensive. Those joints need far more attention and maintenance to keep them riding smooth and to help keep the rail from warping. The nuts and bolts can work loose causing play between each rail in the joint. This can cause the ends to get slammed by the wheels passing over them thus battering the ends of the rail at the joint. Welding the rail eliminates these joints. We will get into more about welding rail in just a bit.

Jointed rail is also prone to pulling apart. Rail expands and contracts with hot and cold weather. As the joints begin to wear one of many factors may occur, the bolts within the joint begin to deteriorate from the motion of the rail and start to crack and eventually break and fall out. If one comes out it needs to be addressed but is not an immediate danger. There are usually four to six nut and bolt sets holding each joint together. Nuts may work loose and back off the bolts. This may create the potential for the bolts to come out of a joint. With less nut and bolt sets to hold everything in place, the remaining sets take on greater stress. Factor in the motion within the joint and you can see problems will develop. When one of these occurrences takes place, it can create the likelihood of the joint pulling apart. These are referred to as pull-aparts and stripped joints.

The nuts can work loose and back off or unscrew themselves from the bolts with the vibration of trains passing over them. They need to be checked and tightened periodically. If they come completely unscrewed, this can cause the bolt to work itself out of the hole in the rail and angle bar and fall out leaving the joint less secure. Again, one bolt missing won’t cause a derailment, but needs to be addressed. One less nut and bolt set creates more stress on the remaining sets.

Both welded and jointed rail also take abuse from flat spots on wheels. A three inch flat spot on a wheel rolling at 50 MPH is equivalent to several hundred thousand pounds of pressure hammering the rail. This hammering can cause internal failures in the rail which lead to breaks.

Another enemy to rail is spinning wheels. Locomotive wheels that are spinning on the rail can and will burn the rail head. I am acquainted with several Engineers who have spun the wheels so bad they burned completely through the ball of the rail and into the web. The web is the staff portion of the rail that connects the ball to the base of the rail giving it the “I” appearance when looking at the rail from the end. When rail is burned this badly, it is ruined and has to be replaced. Trains cannot operate over such burns. Small burns while hard on rail are not detrimental. Bigger burns may cause a speed restriction to be placed on that portion of rail but it can remain in service until this burned portion can be cut out and replaced.

Good draining, well ballasted and well maintained roadbed are keys to maintaining long rail life. If the roadbed is in good shape, the rail will last longer. If the roadbed under the rail is allowed to deteriorate, mud may begin to pump up through the ballast and weaken the structure. The ballast can no longer help hold the rail and ties in place as it is being fouled and then forced out by the mud which then begins to act as the ballast. The mud cannot support the track structure adequately and trains traveling over such a section can force the entire structure downward from the weight. While very flexible, this action may cause premature wear on the rail. The rail itself may begin to weaken as it is getting insufficient support from underneath.

Over time, creosoted wooden ties begin to weaken and deteriorate. There is a micro-organism that attacks treated ties helping to promote failure. As ties deteriorate, they loose their ability to hold the rail in proper gauge. One or two ties in a segment are no problem. But numerous failing ties can be a serious problem. Ties that rest in mud or are subject to very poor drainage also fail prematurely. Now couple failing ties to being supported by mud and this formula may allow the gauge of the rail (56½ inches) to slip. The rail itself may move laterally and/or vertically. And the two rails might not move together when the action occurs. Severe differences between the movement of the rails can lead to derailments. If nothing else, it leads to speed restrictions being placed upon the track.

Even under the best of maintenance, ties also don’t last forever. This is a prime reason railroads undertake routine project tie replacement programs. Usually every so many years, a high production tie gang will work their way across a route and replace ties.

Back in the dark days when roads like the Rock Island, Penn Central and Milwaukee Road were in dire financial straights, track maintenance was sacrificed to reduce operating costs. These lines experienced severe deterioration of some of their routes. This deterioration led to weakened track structure resulting in reduced train speeds. These roads were not alone though as some other lines also reduced track maintenance to save money. Where bad track develops, problems like reduced train speeds and derailments normally follow. Fortunately, the industry seems to be long past those days. Today most of the industry spends, or perhaps reinvests would be a more appropriate term, significant sums of capital into the physical plant.

One investment in the physical plant is the extensive use of welded rail. Welded rail, known as continuous welded rail (CWR), is often referred to as ribbon rail. It appears like a long ribbon of steel. There are two methods in which rail can be permanently joined together. The use of very high electrical current to weld rail is known as flash butt welding. The flash butt process is nothing like the arc welding process that uses current and welding rods with a welder carrying a bead to create the bond. A large welding machine using electrical current pulls the rail together and uses large copper ingots to transmit the current to the rail creating high temperatures to heat the rail to a point the ends get extremely hot and very soft and pliable. The rail is permanently joined together using the steel from the rail ends themselves to create the bond. At the last moment of the welding process the rail is pushed together to fuse it tightly. This causes some the heated material to bulge out all around the weld itself. This excess is chipped and later ground off to make a smooth and even bond.

One of the biggest private contractors that welds rail for the industry is Holland Company. Right before I joined the rail industry in 1978, I worked for them and learned a great deal about the process.

New or relay (previously used) rail is first prepared for the weld. The web at the ends of the rail that will be in contact with the copper ingots of the welder are first ground using a grinder to shine up the surface. This creates a clean contact point. Used rail that is to be welded is first tested for flaws and once deemed good to use is then cropped. Cropping takes the old ends off the rail removing any battering and also ridding the rail of the old bolt holes. This step is accomplished using a rail saw which cuts through the rail. The saw and blades used are nothing you will find at any home supply stores. Once these steps are completed, the rail is now ready to be welded.

The welder is placed onto the rails to be welded and the two pieces of rail are pulled together. Once everything is properly set, the process is started and the welder begins to do its thing. The action taking place sounds a little like some of the sounds from an old “Frankenstein” movie, lots of electrical humming with some hissing and popping. Sparks will fly out as well.

After each weld is completed (a process taking several minutes), excess steel and slag are knocked off and the weld is magnaflux tested to assure it is a quality weld. Once deemed a good weld, the welded joint is ground smooth all the way around the rail, top to bottom and both sides. Each weld is assigned a number and this number and the date of the weld is marked on the rail and recorded in a log. Should this weld fail in an inordinate period of time, the failed portion will be cut out and sent back to a lab for analysis to study and determine what caused the failure and how to prevent such a failure in the future. They are trying to discover whether it was a manufacturing flaw within the rail itself, or a problem with the welding process or perhaps a combination of both. I guess this would be considered post production research and development. From what I was told by CSX people, they follow the same sort of guidelines with their rail welding plant and process.

Holland has set up permanent rail welding plants for some of the railroads on railroad property. In the past, Holland has provided management and some of the help to operate these plants in conjunction with the railroads. In the case of the portable plants Holland will set up at a specific location, often near where the rail will be installed. In the case of the portable plants, the contracting railroad will hire Holland or another company to perform a specific number of welds over a defined period of time. Holland provides all the management and most, if not all of the help required to complete the project. The contracting railroad may or may not provide some of the labor. Once the project is completed, the plant is buttoned up and shipped back to the home shop or sent directly to another project.

In my days at Holland, we had portable plants in British Columbia and Quebec in Canada, plants in Kansas City, MO, Savanna, IL, and two permanent plants, one in Colorado and Texas. An in-track welder hauled in a former passenger car was also in use in Southern Illinois. Another portable plant had also just returned from Surinam in the jungles of South America. Other permanent plants had also been set up by Holland for railroads on their respective properties and operated directly by these railroads with technical expertise and equipment provided by Holland.

Rail is welded in high production plants of fixed or transportable locations. Totally self contained plants can be transported from job site to job site all across the globe. In track welders are also used. These on-track, self propelled vehicles can weld rail in place right on the roadbed. Or through the use of highway tires can travel along side the right of way and weld rail lying next to the location where it will be installed. These vehicles can be quickly placed on or off the track and can move to different job sites quickly. The in-track on rail welding truck was developed by Holland with the very first one constructed while I was employed there. Like everything else in the industry, the in-track welding truck has evolved immensely since that first one was built in 1978.

To learn more about Holland and the rail welding process and its evolution, I highly recommend visiting http://www.hollandco.com.

Oftentimes jointed rail is welded while in place on the right of way. A sufficient amount of spikes are pulled allowing the rail to be raised using track jacks. The nuts, bolts and angle bars are removed and the rail ends are cropped. Sometimes they entire joint is simply sawed out without removing the angle bars and bolts. This whole segment is just cut right out in one piece. The new ends are pulled together, prepared and flash-butt welded. As they crop the ends of each rail where the joints are being eliminated there becomes a deficit of rail. A length of rail is then added as required to fill the gap and welded into place.

The other method commonly employed to weld rail uses heat from a combustion source and incorporates the use of filler material to bond two pieces of rail together. This process is known as thermite welding. The filler includes metal shavings and gunpowder (to assist in creating sufficient heat) among other material. Flash-butt welding is considered to be the better of the two processes.

Thermite welds are generally used in the field to make repairs such as a length of rail that has been changed out. A new piece of rail has been cut in to replace a portion that has broken or developed a defect. If a new insulated joint associated with a new or existing signal is installed, it will be field welded into place. The same occurs should a new switch be installed. The process takes longer to set up and actually complete than does flash butt welding, but is more practical in certain applications. A railroad’s own welder (the employee not the machine) is employed for field welds. Rail ends will not necessarily have to be cropped as the filler material used will fill the gaps such as those created from bolt holes drilled into the rail.

Even though over time both may fail, thermite welds tend to be more prone to failure than flash-butt welds. From a personal standpoint, I have witnessed more failed thermite welds than flash butt welds. However, from a practical and economical standpoint, they are far more practical in certain situations and applications that flash-butt welds.

Welding rail provides many benefits for railroads. Eliminating joints reduces the required joint maintenance thus saving money and time. With fewer joints to maintain, less people are required as is less material. Welded rail also reduces warping of rail and battered ends. Fuel savings are realized as there is less resistance in rolling. Jointed rail creates friction and rolling resistance. Welded rail is friendlier to the neighbors as with fewer joints there is less noise. Wheels hitting joints do make a great deal of noise.

“Clickity-clack, clickity-clack.”

Rail also wears from the rubbing of flanges on the wheels against the inside of the ball of the rail, particularly on curves. Railroads have attempted to address this problem through the use of flange lubrication. There are several different methods used to lubricate flanges and reduce or minimize rail wear. Flange lubrication systems are often applied to locomotives. They apply a thin layer of lubricant to the flanges of the locomotive wheels to reduce wear to both the wheel flange and rail head. In track lubricators are employed at some locations. These are devices mounted onto the track structure that apply lubricant to the flanges of wheels passing over it.

Some railroads use a lubricant applied directly to the inside of the ball of the rail. This is accomplished through the use of a track lubrication applicator mounted on hy-rail equipment such as a modified pick up truck. Such a truck will travel on the rail and apply a thin layer of lubricant as it travels the route. The Illinois Central was a big subscriber to this method for years.

While good drainage, well ballasted and well maintained roadbed are boss to sustaining longer rail life, there is still more that can be done to achieve ripe old age for the rail itself. Most railroads also subscribe to a program of rail grinding. Rail head wears and loses it shape over time from heavy tonnage that pounds over it. Grinding the rail head reprofiles the head of the rail (known as the ball) returning it to the original profile which will increase rail life. Properly profiled rail also offers less rolling resistance thus lends to fuel savings.

There are several outfits with whom the railroads contract to reprofile rail. These contractors make use of self contained trains that travel the rail to grind it back to the required profile. These trains may be pulled by a regular locomotive or a power car designed to both power the equipment and pull the train. The power cars often have some rail grinding equipment mounted to them. These power cars have cabs with the controls to operate this like a train. It can pull the grinding train from job to job just like a regular train at speeds up to 50 MPH.

While actually performing the grinding and reprofiling the rail, these grinder trains operate at very slow speeds. Ground material does fly out and can also start fires along the right of way. Fire trains sometimes follow the grinder trains. These trains have a tank car or two of water along with a pump and a hose to spray water on fires that have ignited along the right of way. I’ve worked a few of these trains too.

The rail grinder trains do have a limitation in that they cannot grind switches. Usher in the switch grinder. These are self contained on-track machines used specifically to grind switches. They only grind switches and not rest of the railroad. They also travel from job to job on the rail. Like the power cars on grinder trains, the switch grinders have no suspension on them so as to allow them to properly work and ride the rail for the grinding application. However, they ride absolutely terrible when traveling from job site to job site. Having ridden in several of them over the years, I can tell you it is quite the rough ride too. They are real kidney killers

Now no matter how much money and effort railroads place into track maintenance, rail still wears out. There is no way around it. A constant barrage of heavy tonnage rolling across the rail at high speeds takes quite the toll on the iron. And when the wear has reached the point that no maintenance in the world can save it, the rail has to be replaced.

While a small gang may perform a spot rail change out or the replacement of smaller segments, to replace miles of rail on a route require the use of a high production rail or steel gang to perform the task. Replacing rail is a very intensive project requiring the use of such high production gangs.

In the early spring of 1996, I had the opportunity and privilege of being assigned to such a project. In participating in this project, I was able to observe up close and personal, the steps and procedures used by a high production steel gang. I learned an incredible amount about rail and the change out process.

The portion of the Indiana Harbor Belt between Grand Trunk Tower in Blue Island, IL and Superior in La Grange (behind the EMD plant) is actually owned by CSX Transportation. The IHB has operated this portion of the railroad as its own for years as part of a deal made with the Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad. At one time both the IHB and B&OCT were building parallel routes in this region. It was quickly realized both lines would not be able to survive with competing routes so closely spaced. The deal was struck for both lines to use a single route in this corridor. The IHB took over the operation of the completed B&OCT tying it into their own route. The IHB timetable and NORAC rules govern the line, which is also dispatched by the IHB. The B&OCT agreed to handle the maintenance and provide all the required track materials. Both lines use the entire line as needed with as many trains as they desire and require.

Today B&OCT successor CSX continues to provide the roadway workers, maintenance and materials needed to support the track and structure. There is one exception though, the interlocking plant at CP Ridge in Chicago Ridge. IHB maintains the signals and appliance within this plant, the crossing with Metra’s Southwest Services line (the former NS, ex-N&W, nee Wabash). The IHB signal department maintains this plant as part of a deal struck in 1994 that closed the tower that stood here and was staffed by a Norfolk Southern employee.

Clear as mud, right?

In 1995 it was decided by the powers that be at CSX to upgrade the rail and switches along the IHB route between Grand Trunk Tower and Superior beginning in 1996. In late February and early March, loaded welded rail trains were delivered to CSX’s Barr Yard from their rail welding plant in Georgia. These trains carry several miles of rail in 1440 foot lengths (or sticks) of continuous welded rail loaded into racks that are equipped with rollers to facilitate unloading. An unloading machine is part of the train and is used to pull the rail from the cars and drop it along side the right of way.

For this project 136 lb. premium quality, head hardened rail would be installed, some of the best rail money can buy. This type of rail will wear well and withstand the rigors of large volumes of traffic the IHB handles on a daily basis. The 78 foot lengths of rail were delivered new to CSX’s rail welding plant near Atlanta, welded into the 1440 foot sticks and loaded them onto rail trains in preparation to shipment to Illinois for this project.

CSX began dropping the rail along the intended route in preparation of the project beginning. The use of a work train with a CSX train and engine crew assisted by CSX Maintenance of Way employees handled this portion of the project. All other materials needed for this project such as tie plates, spikes and rail anchors will also be placed along the route in advance of the project’s commencement so that the crews will have all of the necessary hardware they will require to complete the project on time. They do not want the crews to be idled while awaiting the delivery of materials thus delaying the project.

The steel gang works on a very tight schedule. This group is CSX’s high production steel gang. All they do is pull old rail and replace it with new or relay welded rail. They do not change out ties or switches, they replace rail. This project must be completed on time as they have another project to begin shortly after this one, which I learned was a project on the former Clinchfield Railroad. So time is both the major factor and also the enemy.

In conjunction with the rail project, CSX also undertook a program to replace several sets of hand operated crossover switches and also renewed several road crossings. This project was rather huge. With such an undertaking, CSX required a curfew in which no trains would be operated on the adjacent track during the working hours of the steel gangs. A twelve hour curfew would be enacted daily Monday through Friday between the hours of 0800 to 2000 hours for the two weeks this project would encompass. This curfew would become quite the battle as you will read.

In part two of this piece, we will delve into the entire process start to finish, of the installation new rail with the CSX high production steel gang. This was an amazing process to observe and be a part of. It is my intention to try to give you as much detail and information as possible. I have numerous photos from this project and will post them at a site kind enough to play host them so you can observe for yourself some of what I will be describing.

I would also like to thank Mark Lynn for his technical assistance on part one. Mark checked out much of what I wrote to assure I had it all correct. And as you have read, he also supplied some very important information. In part two we may include some of his first hand encounters as well.

And so it goes.