3rdrail wrote:
Interesting frogs there, Bob. I have a feeling that the guards on them are more cosmetic than anything else, though. If you look at the opposite rail, there's no restraining rails or guards at all, and the ones on the frogs don't look like they would keep a model train on track !
3rdrail - "Upon further review" the guard ribs cast into this frog are more than just cosmetic! They are about 1-1/2" thick in both dimensions (width/height).
Presuming the frog is cast of manganese steel it would require an enormous amount of force to bend/break off a guard rib.
Further, wear marks on the inner faces of both ribs indicate they frequently do their job guiding/aligning wheels as they roll thru the frog.
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Below is better look at the self-guarding frog from various angles. A couple observations:
- The main casting is huge! End to end it's about 12' long. Including the cast wedge piece between the rails on the trailing point end, the entire frog assembly is nearly 14 feet long. Width is a bit over 2 ft at the facing point "inlet".
- The rail bolted to the frog are 136 lb. However subsequent rail beyond the switch is 105-110 lb. (BTW many of the rails beyond are dated 1905 - 1907 - really old stuff!) ...FB
General view of the entire switch:
Frog - facing point view:
Frog - trailing point view:
Detail view - facing point: