Rail for Spur Tracks

[jhicks7]

I'm sure with all of the knowledgable folks here, this will be an easy question to answer. I work at the Coca-Cola plant in Downtown Roanoke (a great place to watch trains before/after work) and we get our high fructose corn syrup in by tank car, typically cuts of 6-8 cars a week. Sometimes when I'm bored and don't have anything to do at the moment, I'll step outside near our tracks. I was looking at the other day and can't find any markings whatsoever. This leads me to ask: how is this type of rail different from regular mainline rail, and where did it most likely come from since there is nothing to identify it? Any other general info would be helpful too!

Thanks,
Josh

[NSMoWandS]

Without any markings... it would be difficult to tell you where it came from. As for type of rail... it depends on traffic and tonnage. Most mainline rail now a days is 136lb.CWR What that means is one yard of rail weighs 136 pounds and it is continuous welded rail.CWR rail is made in 39ft sections but, get welded together at the mill into 1/4 mile long sections as they are loaded into a rail train. But, it can be 121lb, 115lb, even 100lb. On sidings and branches, and in yards the rail could be even lighter ( i have seen 55lb rail in some older yards)and it could be what is called "stick" rail or jointed rail. Or it could be CWR. "Stick" rail or jointed rail is bolted together using a joint bar.  Most older facilities are "stick" where newer one get CWR.  Now, in curves on mainlines 141lb is usually used and it is head harden. Head harden rail has had a small amount of explosive put on the top of the rail and then set off. That process is also used for switch frogs. Head harden add a lot of cost to the rail so it is use sparingly. I hope this answers some of your questions. Dan

[jhicks7]

Thanks, Dan, that was a good explanation. To clarify though, my "where" question was more along the lines of is the rail recycled (from a mainline, yard, etc.) or is it brand new? It is definitely jointed rail since the Coke plant was built in the 80s. I wish there were markings because I'd be interested to know where it came from and when it was rolled.

Josh

[NSMoWandS]

They could have got it new or used... without any markings on it... it would be hard to know where and when it was rolled. Rails just like ties... have 3 categories. Reuse, Resell, Dispose. Reuse would be old main that could find its way into yards and sidings, resell would be sold to industries and such, and Dispose would end up being turned into rebar for construction. If you can find any markings... take a pic if you can and I will try to identify it the best that I can. Dan

[jhicks7]

No pic, but I can tell you what it says. There are actually markings on the rail and they took some searching to find. They're not very prominent, but I believe I read "96 MARYLAND lll 06" during my quick look. Not 100% on this though, so I may try to check again sometime.

[NSMoWandS]

OK! Now we are cooking with thermite! The "96" indicates the weight. 96lbs/yard. The "MARYLAND" indicates that the Bethlehem Steel Co. made it at their Sparrow Point Mill. The "III" indicates the month that it was rolled. "III" being March. The "06" indicates the year. I hope this helps you. And with this info... you can start to identify any other rail you come across. Dan

[jhicks7]

Thanks for the explanation!  Different than I'm used to seeing. The rail on the NS Altavista District near my house is pretty plainly marked Bethlehem 1997. However this rail looks older than 6 years, so that 0 may be an 8 or 9 which would be a bit more fitting in my opinion.

[NSMoWandS]

You are prob correct. They have since gone to 4 digit year markings for rail. Sadly, the Sparrows Point Mill stopped production in Dec 2011.