Rathole Div. & Concrete Ties

[NSyorktown]

Simple question . . . . does any segment of the 338-mile CNO&TP line between Cincy and Chattanooga have concrete ties?

Just wondering, TIA!

[TM3358]

Is ns just against them it seems they are not in any of the states i have been in

[Beavis]

The only concrete ties on the CNO&TP are under the Flat Rock scanner at MP 186.

[NS 8540]

I've seen the extensive use of concrete ties out on UP's triple track east of North Platte. One thing I noticed about them was that at grade crossings, if on the edges there was mud, the mud was literally eating into the ties. For some reason, it eats the protective coating. Even the UP track gang employee that I spent a few weeks with wasnt that impressed with them.

                 Christian

[NSyorktown]

Thanks, Beavis!

I'll assume you are talking about his spot on the line(?):

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=235356&nseq=20

[Beavis]

That's it.  I know it was out of service for a while this summer but I think they have it working again.

[JCagle]

Isn't the logic against concrete ties based in the fact that they are so much more costly that you can replace a wooden tie a couple of times for the cost of a concrete tie? This would include new hardware spikes ect. More high speed or very heavy loads work better with concrete, but they would wear out the wooden ties faster and make it more cost effective to spend more money on the front side. I would think as the concrete tie market gains a bigger portion of the market the cost would go down. (Right now wooden ties are over 90% of the market)

[E.M. Bell]

Beavis, are those what I have seen under that funky sounding wheel impact detector down there? I had noticed a "change" in color there, but never though much about it till now. 

[Backyard]

  CSXT replaced all the mainline crossties between Smyrna & Cartersville, Ga, save for the crossings & turnouts with Koppers ties in the mid ninties...

The crews noticed a difference in the ride...

They were supposed to last ? years, however all were replaced before 2003 from busting, fastener malfunction, etc.  They continue to use aggregate ties...

The FEC has them since the seventies at least...they've always had problems with the roadbed sliding out of tolerance on curves due to being built on a sand sub base.  They use(d) loaders & track type tractors to pull the curves back to radius...deformation also happens from hurricanes.

Hard, wide open running on tangents & hitting the curves at track speed was the only way the FEC ran.  I all of my life marveled at the fact that quite a few Florida East Coast communities got away with preventing the FEC from using horns at crossings!

[Beavis]

E.M. :  yeah, that's the one.