Why some Railroads use Concrete and some use Wood Cross Ties
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ต.ค. 2024
- Both concrete and wood ties have their pros and cons and we will go over many
of those in the video. Find out the facts on why some railroads use concrete ties
and some use wood cross ties. Will also show you why we will never use concrete ties
on the Cumberland Mine RR.
We do not have any composite ties here and only a very few steel ties. The steel ties we do
have are underneath the concrete pad where they load the trains. PLEASE: do not
write in and ask me about composite or steel ties, the reply would be too long so
I will do a future video on those for you.
This is by far not a totally comprehensive review of the pros and cons between wood
and concrete ties. To go over every single thing would probably take a day's long seminar,
but we do go over many of the major high lights. However to add in something, concrete does lend itself exceptionally well to transit applications.
I also forgot to mention in the video, with concrete ties I can't do any windmill spiking
and I do love to drive spikes in a wood tie.... LOL
Cost difference between concrete and wood ties:
Being that there are 28 different profiles of concrete ties. Each different profile has
a different pricing. Wood ties here are $80. All concrete ties are higher than that and
heavier ones can be double or more the cost. Plus transportation costs to get them
to the job are much higher with concrete, because they are so much heavier than
wood, it requires more trucks to get them to the job site.
This video is the 4th in a 4 part mini series on Railroad Cross Ties
Part 1 Spreading Black Bananas on the Railroad:
• Spreading Black Banana...
Part 2 How Long Does a Wood Railroad Tie Last:
• How Long Does a Wood R...
Video 3 Stuffing Railroad Ties with a TRIPP Machine:
• Stuffing Railroad Ties...
Article on the ROI on concrete vs wood cross ties in RTS Magazine that I told you about
in the video:
www.rta.org/as...
Video made April 30, 2023
Disclaimer: I am an employee of Iron Senergy at Cumberland
Mine. My job is railroad track maintenance. I am very fortunate to
have this job and everyone at the mine is very fortunate to have
Iron Senergy as it's current owner. Our past owners had every
intention of shutting this mine down, but Iron Senergy took
over and have kept this mine alive.
Please understand: I am NOT in any way an official or unofficial
spokes person for Iron Senergy or Cumberland Mine. Any viewpoints,
opinions or anything that I show in the videos, or write in the video
descriptions or any answer to any comment, should NEVER be
misconstrued or interpreted as being in any way shape or form,
any kind of official or unofficial statement from Iron Senergy,
Iron Cumberland, Cumberland Mine, any of the mine's management,
any of the contractors that may be shown in any video, nor of
any of my fellow co-workers.
Any viewpoints or opinions I may make in the videos, in the
descriptions, or in any answer to a comment is strictly that of my
own and NOT an official or unofficial statement or viewpoint that
Iron Synergy or any one at Iron Senergy or Cumberland Mine
necessarily has or makes.
Again, we are very fortunate to have Iron Senergy as our current
owners. Please, when making a comment be respectful of Iron Senergy,
Cumberland Mine, my fellow coworkers and also any contractors
that may be shown. Thank You, Dave
#ConcreteRailroadTies#WoodRailroadTies#RailroadCrossTies
One thing about concrete ties in the curves is gauging, it can be troublesome with the lateral forces of the weight pushing against the high side of the curve wearing out the insulators thin causing wide gauge and rail canting, it can be high maintenance.
Thank you so much Jason for sharing that. A point I would never
even have thought of, but you would know! For those who may
be reading this, Jason works BNSF MOW and is very knowledgeable
about track maintenance. I have a lot of respect for what he
knows and his help he has given me over the years.
Such is American rail roads. These lines were laid by MEN. They did not give excuses, they did not ask questions ,they just did it. And still do. I admire these men. Wow!!!
@@ccrx6700 Thanks Dave, I’ll try to get some pictures and show you some details when I can.
We've had a big accident, unfortunately with fatalities, here in Germany a little while ago with failed concrete ties. Exactly like you say, the ties got beaten up, failed quickly after each other, and the train running over it pushed the gauge out of whack. They later determined that the plant that made the ties mixed bad concrete (wrong/chemically incompatible aggregate in it, I believe). That put the railroad in a real pickle, having to rip out about 200,000 ties with the same defect as soon as possible. Lots of slow orders all over the place for a while.
@@bain5872. Drag those knuckles, boy!
Interesting, with plenty of details.
In some parts of the world the preference is for steel ties, particularly when the line is being constructed in remote territory. On the African savannah, for example, trees are scarce, wood is susceptible to termite attack and concrete ties are cumbersome to transport to the work site if there is no local batching plant. Steel ties are easy to make and can stacked for transport.
Thank you for the nice comment and great info RO BT. I will do a future video on steel ties for you. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and check out the tie show my friend.
Back in the '80s, we used old wood ties as posts for our corrals on the farm. Connected them with 2x10s and channel iron. Held up very well over the decades.
In Australia our State government (Victoria) won't let old railway sleepers from the suburban network be sold due to them having asbestos dust ingrained in them from the train brakes.
And the horses wouldn't nibble them because they were soaked in creosote.
My grandfather built fences around the homestead in the 50s. They are still in good shape. To bad barbed wire didn't last as long as the ties have.
@@ianmontgomery7534 That's an example of what my first boss (Doctorate in Chemical Engineering) called "Locking the doors and leaving the windows open." A good deal of engine braking happens in railway stations and, by default, kicks out airborne particulates from the linings. It's also where many people congregate of course.
The greatest danger would be from handling the bitumen surface itself (it contains carcinogens). But, after a few decades of use, most of the 'nasties' from the bitumen would have degraded or evaporated.
Asbestos is now banned in most applications, such as brake-linings but, pre-1973 (ish) most car brake linings would have contained it. That meant that hanging around a road junction or anyplace where cars slowed down would guarantee you a dose of the deadly dust.
I've got many an old tie here on our farm as posts 2 Many Fords.
We used to give away a lot of old ties to farmers around here,
but farmer numbers have dwindled a good bit, not too many
folks even want them anymore. Appreciate your taking the time to visit and check out the railroad tie video my friend
I appreciate how realistic you are about this.
Thank you Tom for the really kind words! That is about the kindest,
most nicest comment I think anyone has ever said to me. I try
so hard to make factual, yet interesting videos for being a railroader
and not a professional videographer and what you just said really
made me feel appreciated.
@@ccrx6700 You are an awesome content creator.
I’ve seen estimates about how many ties it takes per mile of track and it amazes me that there’s enough wood out there to keep railroads with a supply. Enjoyed the video.
The railroads demanded a lumber industry. The same lumber industry provided the timber for the Comstock Lode, in Nevada.
You can figure out how many ties in a mile, wood ties are 19.5 inches
on center Brent. Thank you for the nice comment and glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to visit and check out the railroad tie video my friend
3,252 per mile
@@fredburban8219 When they built the intercontinental railroad they had dedicated lumber companies and saw mills making the ties. Entire forests were cut down, and a lot of the land when into cultivation. This happened again in the Comstock Lode, which required enormous amounts of timber to shore up the mine, cities worth.
@fredburban8219
Buddy, you need a life if you sat down and figured that out! Lol.
Come up and drink beer with us some time. We live in a math free zone.
Thanks for this video!
The advantage of wood is in its fibers: a crack in one fiber does not easily propagate to the next. The problem is that wood, in spite of creosote, is degradeable. A relatively inexpensive nondegradeable fibrous material ain't around yet.
Your welcome Robin and thanks for sharing the info with us. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
Prestressed concrete is done by placing steel cable under extreme stress, pulling the steel tightly with a machine or tool, then pouring the cement on top. When the cement has set, the tension on the steel is released.
Thank you for sharing that info Richard. Appreciate your taking the time to visit and check out the railroad tie video my friend
The tension of the steel is not so much released as it is that the steel pulls the concrete into compression (where concrete is strong). This works better than simply reinforcing the lower third of the tie (beam) with rebar which takes-up the tensile force imposed on the lower section of the tie (beam) under load that the concrete by itself cannot significantly resist. I.e.: concrete is very strong in compression but very weak in tension. Steel is very strong in both, so steel reinforcement is used to make-up for concrete's weakness in tension.
This is why a post tension slab works so well in home construction with bad soil. Been used for decades now. @@brettany_renee_blatchley
Always wondered about the pros and cons of concrete ties. Thanks for this video Dave! Hope all is well over there.
Your quite welcome clineshaunt. Lot's of folks have wanted to know
the same thing, bout time I got around to making a video on that
subject...:-) Always enjoy hearing from you my friend and thanks
so much for watching.
@@ccrx6700 We love your content.
Excellent video, Dave! Some of the information you presented, I’ve not seen before. Well done!
Those 😮concrete ties with the angle iron in the center, only place I’ve seen those is on transit systems where they were laid on top of a poured concrete roadbed.
I think about 20 years ago, Amtrak experimented with concrete ties on the Northeast corridor. They eventually had to replace all of them and replace them with wood.
Also about 20 years ago, I was involved in the construction of a power plant that burned scrap wood ties from Norfolk Southern railroad, about 1.2 million of them per year. They are ground up into chips and burned at high temperature to eliminate pollution from the creosote.
Pretty much all of Japan's rails in the cities are on concrete ties.
Is this power plant still in operation? NJ Transit also sent their scrap wood ties to this facility. I was conductor/flag for some of the contractors that picked up these ties and they told me about the power plant that you described.
@@earlysda I'm guessing that the ready availability of wood in the United States contributes to the use of wood ties, compared with Japan.
@@SeattlePioneer Seattle, maybe so, but after humans, Japan's biggest natural resources are sea-related and wood-related.
Thank you for the excellent comment Bill, lot's of good info in there!. I've heard of power plants burning them but probably not enough used ties around here for a plant to be viable doing that even with NS and CSX here, just not that many track miles, but we could chip in our 2,000 a year to help out.... LOL Appreciate your taking the time to visit and check out the railroad tie video my friend
Thank you, Dave, for providing clear, concise reasons for sticking with wood ties.
Thank you for the nice comment Shirley and you are welcome. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
Great video. Amazing how long the wood ties last. Back in 60’s a d 60’s my home town had so many trains running through the town. There were so many old ties available for people to re purpose. On my property some fencing had old ties used and they are still standing. Several on the ground and still not falling apart. Back then everyone used old toes for landscape and fencing. Still around 70-80 years later
Thank you for the nice comment Beverly, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
Yes, but they don't have heavy trains running over them when they're in a fence!
Nice job getting this all to the people that like to know just what is what in RR work. 70 yrs on the tracks here and I know how much is involved, still learning, Thanks Dave
Thank you for the nice comment Tbear, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
Hi Dave, excellent video describing the difference. We have a section of concrete ties, where a temporary track was created for a bridge project. The crews have reported "rough track" with our trains... The problem is that the concrete ties dont have "play". They are so stiff that all of the lateral motion is transferred to the locomotive instead of the wooden tie giving in. The locomotive truck then has to absorb the motion, causing the "rough ride". 70mph with a 40yr old locomotive will get your attention immediately when you have ties that don't flex.
@made in the 80s Ironically, this is passenger operations... the F40s do not like this stretch of track!
Thank you for the very interesting comment Eric. I've talked with an NS engineer who ran on concrete before I made this video, but
he didn't mention anything about what you say, he said it was like running a car on pavement for concrete and on gravel road with wood. Great to hear about the motion being transferred to the loco, glad to find that out! Appreciate your taking the time to visit and check out the railroad tie video my friend
@made in the 80s Here in the UK some of our trains run at 150 mph, just like all of the TGVs in Europe. All sleepers are concrete. The ride is very smooth. It seems that you have not learnt how to install concrete properly over there.
Excellent discussion on wood vs concrete ties, really interesting and informing. Especially your commentary on the eco issues with wood ties vs concrete. Great video!! 👍
Thank you for the nice comment Jim, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
Once again you have provided a highly educational video and I appreciate that very much. You are the “Professor of Railroading”. Thank you Dave.
Thank you for the nice comment Alan, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
Hello Dave, I'll link you to a video of how concrete sleepers of the type B-70 are manufactured in Germany. The concrete sleepers, which you saw in my linked video with the cleaning machine, had been in place since about 1996. The well-preserved concrete sleepers are still good for any side tracks or or branch lines. A very well-made concrete sleeper will last about 30-40 years in Europe. th-cam.com/video/D3ksLycze4M/w-d-xo.html Thanks for that video and greetings from Berlin/ Germany. Sven
Thank you for your post. I checked out your link.
@@rtqii Thanks
Thank you for sharing that with us Sven. Appreciate your taking the time to pay a visit and check out the railroad tie video my friend
I watched your link, gotta admire those German engineers, they sure know how to make machines. It's impressive just how automated they got the process. Thanx for the link.
❤great teacher as always...👍thanks 👏👏
Your welcome Betty. Thank you for the kind words. Always is
a pleasure to have you pay us a visit and write in my friend.
Thanks Dave. I was looking forward to seeing this video. Here in my town, UP crosses KCS and when UP had a derailment in a curve, they used concrete and when KCS had one, they used wood and that is what made me ask you about this.
Your welcome Charles, glad you enjoyed. That's way to cool to hear about KCS and UP doing that, I love it. Appreciate your taking the time to visit and check out the railroad tie video my friend
Coal will decay the concrete. I used to work at a coal tipple and the coal being piled up against the concrete piers caused them to dissolve away where the coal touched them. YOU GO DAVE!
Just a guess, but some coal has a lot of sulfur in it. Rain may have combined with the sulfur to form sulfuric acid which eats up concrete. In southern Louisiana the rain will eventually eat away at concrete, gradually exposing the gravel. Of course, it takes about 30 years to become obvious. That is probably one reason why they made refiners start selling super low sulfur diesel fuel. It produces less acid rain.
Thank you for the nice comment Transmitter Guy, yes sir I will go,
keep on keepin on.... :-) Appreciate your taking the time to visit and check out the railroad tie video my friend
Great video As usual Dave..I'd nearly bet youve got some of my crossties under your rails.
All of our ties come from Appalachian Timber in Sutton WV. They
were all sawn from WV trees, however some time ago Appalachian
merged with another tie plant in Beverly WV. At Beverly they get
rough sawn ties and bridge timbers in by rail. I do not know where
all those come from, so yes we could have some of your timber.
Wouldn't that be so cool to find out! I toured the tie plant last year
and what I do know for a fact is that they reject very, very few
rough sawn ties. Thanks for the kind words and for checking out
the video tonight my friend.
Really informative Dave, thanks for sharing your knowledge and wood is the way to go, hug a logger. Cheers and stay safe
Thank you for the nice comment Pete. I'm a big advocate for the logging industry too. Appreciate your taking the time to visit and
check out the RR tie video my friend.
Another very informative video Dave! It all comes down to what is correct and makes sense for the application, doesn't it?
Thanks for taking the time to share all the insight you have into railroadin! Have a great rest of the weekend!
🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃💯👍🇺🇸
Maybe not. His point about the height of the roadbed struck home to me, as I've seen Swedish track and tie replacement train systems, and it's only when I watched this vid that I noticed that, yes indeed, the concrete tie roadbeds are at least twice the height of his. Farther north, higher snow, whatever, but that struck home.
Thank you for the nice comment Jim. Yes, you are right all RR's have their own unique track problems/weather/economics, etc. There is no one tie out there that is ideally suited for every single RR going. Each RR has to use what is the best option for them, and often use
different options for different sections of track. Concrete, steel,
composite or wood all have their pros and cons. It is a good thing
that there are options available to suit each RR's particular needs.
Appreciate your taking the time to watch the video and write in
my friend.
Good video. I have always wonder why concrete ties were not used near me.
Thank you for the nice comment Red. Glad you enjoyed. Certainly
appreciate your taking the time to visit and write in tonight
my friend.
Great video. One summer vacation, when I was in high school, I worked with a friend who had a business putting in landscape ties. We had to drive about 30-40 miles to a yard where they sold the used ties and picked up a large truck load. The biggest project was a steep backyard where we put in several terraces of ties, maybe 3 ft. high each, with stairways up the middle and sides. That was all done by hand except for an old TroyBilt tiller the homeowner had. We used that to loosen up the soil before shoveling it into a wheel barrow to cut the trenches to sink the bottom row of ties into.
Thank you for the nice comment R Brown. We've never had a
landscaper approach us about getting old ties here. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
@@ccrx6700 I don't recall who we purchased the ties from back in the '70s. It was a large industrial yard and they had stacks and stacks of used ties on pallets. Looking on Google maps today, there's a large recycling place there, so not sure if they were there back then or if it was associated with the local railroad. I see now that the big box stores sell used ties for $20 - $30 a piece.
As a Wisconsin logger, we cut and sell to local sawmills, what we call "Tie Logs", which are hardwood logs. They are usually Oak, Maple, Ash or Hickory. The logs are a minimum of 11" and up on the small end, and 8'8'' long so that they will square up your 7''x9'' x8'6'' long RR tie. These logs also must be sound, with no hollowness, rot, ot severe end checking, cracks or splits. Every tie is sawed out of the center of theses logs, even if the log is a large diameter over 12" and up they usually saw 1" lumber off the outside of the log untill they get down to your finished 7x9 inch tie. if the logs are more #1 and Veneer grade logs they wont saw a tie, instead they will keep sawing the log down for better grade lumber, more so in the Oaks and Maples. So not every log will yield a tie. As far as "Save a Tree" for the environment, the trees we are cutting/logging are at or near the end of their usuful life, where over the next few years they will degrade and start to die/rot/decompose. Or a storm might uproot or bust them down. So in cutting these older trees we are opening up the woods so the younger trees can grow more efficiently, and reach an older age before they too can be harvested. Nice RR vidjas U R an experianced knowedgeable Rail Roader. Thank U.
Wow Log dog what a really awesome comment! Excellent explanation and very interesting. I learned a few things tonight
from that. Ties from the plant we get them are graded at the plant
and they reject very few. I got to tour that place last year, it was
really cool. I further did not realize about the trees being at the
end of their life, yes you are right in your ideas after reading your
comment I now see much better about that. Thank you for taking the time to watch and write in my friend
@@ccrx6700 Hi, CCRX 6700, UR welcome, and thank U 2 4 the neat RR vidjas. As I have just reciently found your channel, I will keep a close eye on U. The closest I get to railroads here in west/central Wisconsin, is with the old Burlington Northern which runs along the Mississippi River. I mostly see or run next to the trains hauling logs to a sawmill along the river. Thanks again.
@@logdog8920 👍😊
As far as cutting and clearing old trees you say it help new grows. Well, when the trees dies and then fall back to the ground they provide for the natural renewal of the forest and also help natural fauna to trive. So, cutting and clearing old trees help destroy the forest. What do you care if profit is the prime motive, right.
@@Christiane069 Hi, You are right in your comment about letting mother nature take care of her forest by herself, She will, The Natural Way. But this will also includes slow tree growth, Invasive species encroachment, loss of lumber and wood products, beetle and bug infestation leading to tree stress and mortality, and high increase in devastating forest fires causing loss of human and wildlife, not to mention homes, buildings and infrastructure, with high costs. In short, most of us rely on renewable wood products in our day ley lives. Thank You
Thank you for this extremely informative video! I learned more about railroad ties today than I ever knew there was to know.
Also, I saw a South Coast Rail video that mentioned that a railroad in Massachusetts is actually recycling Amtrak’s rejected concrete ties because, since they don’t rot, they can still be used for low speed freight lines.
Thank you for the nice comment Michael, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
Great presentation Dave. You covered a lot in this one. You are right about concrete being easier to make than it is to get timber. You have lots of it and have used it to build houses while we used stone for ours. Concrete is not as good as wood where the track bed is poor, as you said, but on high speed well maintained deep ballast they are better which is why we are only slowly changing to concrete on secondary lines. It is very costly to dig out all the old ballast and replace it with new deeper ballast needed for the concrete so in your case it would not be just a simple take out the wood and put in the concrete on the old ballast. An interesting comment by Jason, I was going to say we had the same problem here on a severe curve, and they blamed it on the use of steam locomotives on our charter trains putting so much pressure on the insulations it crushed them. These days some heavy freight goes round there as well so they cannot blame steam locomotives alone now. Creosote was banned here some years ago so possibly a reason why we use more concrete now. In York they have just relaid the track in a yard and the track looks better than on the main now with welded rails on concrete. We also tried the blocks with a rod or angle between them. They did not last long here either. I bet the cross level was hard to maintain as well as the rod bent rather than a solid support across the track
Concrete probably has a higher carbon footprint than wood (if you believe too much carbon is a problem) and is non-renewable.
Thank you for the nice comment cedarcam. Yes I did notice on
many of our videos the large number of stone houses, did not
realize why until you shared that, makes sense now. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
@@earlysda Yes the trees have a zero carbon footprint when replanted, however the big downside of wood sleepers is the use of Creosote. It is worth the higher carbon footprint to avoid spreading lots of Creosote in the environment.
I have been dying to ask that very question. I knew there was a reason, I just didn't know what it was. But watching this, I had several thoughts. If a concrete tie weighs 700lbs, the an 18 wheeler could haul less than 60, whereas he could haul over 200 wood ties. So your transportation cost would rise significantly. You mentioned about the difference in maintenance equipment. But I'm sure the installation equipment would be different and more expensive. As for carbon footprint, wood may not be as bad as you think. Concrete requires lime that is fired in a kiln after the limestone is mined. The mining itself will have a carbon footprint. As you pointed out, trees remove carbon from the air. When treated ties go back in the landfill, the carbon is locked up forever and the carbon cycle is broken. Perhaps you and I could getva grant to study this...😅
yeah even if you consider the local effects of creosote the effect on the environment from concrete is absolutely gigantic in comparison, 400 million cubic yd per year in the US alone!!
Jasper, that's right. If the point is to reduce the carbon footprint, wood ties are probably much better for the environment than concrete ones.
Same could be said for harvesting the wood which has to be transported from the (hopefully) managed forest to the sawmills. There is no formula to fit all scenarios for this kind of thing because your source of material is always changing. As for the wood being buried forever, well, even the creosote degrades and there are plenty of microorganisms that will happily digest it before fungi makes short work of the wood itself. Once exposed, it starts to rot. The byproduct of that process is mostly methane.
Thank you for the nice comment Jasper. You are absolutely right in the triple the amount of trucks it takes to bring in concrete ties. We can get a grant as long as we state: concrete ties vs wood ties and the effects on global warming. GW in there and we got the money for sure! :-) Appreciate your taking the time to visit and check out the railroad tie video my friend
Hard to calculate the carbon footprint of the saw mill, in Arkansas small 3 man mills cut a lot of ties & send them to the creosote plant.
Yes, Dave I have learned a lot tonight on the economic aspect as well as longevity of the concrete sleepers.
Thank you for explaining it all and in language we oldies can understand. 😊
Thank you for the nice comment Cameron, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
My GrandPa Gave a Train Set When I was a Kid for Christmas.. Played with it for Weeks.. Then I Displayed it on my Shelf for Years.. I'm a lot older now and I keep it around to remind me of GrandPa ..... Watching your videos puts a smile in my face learning about Rail Roading..
I'm really pleased to hear these videos bring back good memories
for you Kveld. Awesome you still have that train set, I still have
mine from when Santa brought it to me in the early 1960s, but
like you, it's on a shelf now. Really appreciate your watching and may you have a very good day my friend.
Another excellent video Dave in the UK we tend to use concrete sleepers nowadays with Pandrol style fixings fastclip is becoming the norm. Most points and switches are timber but recycled plastic sleepers are becoming more popular too
Lots points and switches are becoming concrete sleepered/tied on replacement.
Thank you for the nice comment Ian, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
We have both CXT and Rockla concrete ties with the McKay clips and Vossloh fasteners.
We do have concrete ties in lots of the curves.
Thank you for sharing that info with us Jason. Appreciate your taking the time to visit and check out the video my friend
Love to see you again Dave! And.......more great content!
Thank you for the nice comment Fireball. Appreciate your
taking the time to visit and take in the RR tie video my friend.
❤❤❤ JUST FANTASTIC,,, VERY WELL DONE 👍 THE BEST ON YOU TUBE,,, THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATION AND PASSION THAT YOU BRING TO THOUSANDS OF US !! GREAT ,,, UNIQUE INFORMATION ,,, PLEASE BE SAFE AND HEALTHY 😮😮😮
Well golly ejmacewan, what a very nice thing to say! We really
appreciate your kind words. So very pleased to hear you are having
a good time with us. We are very grateful for your taking the time
to visit with us and check out the tie video my friend.
Good video and thanks for the explanation of the differences.
Thank you for the nice comment Chad. Appreciate your
taking the time to visit and take in the RR tie video my friend.
Schools in. Fantastic overview Dave👍👷♂️⛏️🚂🇨🇦🇺🇲 always checked in.
Thank you Doug, always a great night when I hear from you.
Edison is fine with wood ties, concrete not needed. Appreciate
always your paying us a visit my friend.
Not to mention if the concrete ties are cut. You may not find out until the next train comes and derails. Sometimes you use what is tried and true. The old timers had it right . Instead of fancy rf date tags an old date nail works just fine. A very informative video Dave and thank you.
Yea, I sat up when he started to talk about putting chips in them. The date of manufacture could be embossed on the tie easily enough. My grandfather's farmhouse had the year embossed on one of its keystones above an external arch. It's still there and reads '1733'.
Thank you for the nice comment aldonco, and you are certainly right
in not finding the ties until it may be too late. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
I've been watching you for a while now and you are just a fountain of knowledge! Thank you for sharing what you have learned. It takes years and decades to learn what you know and you share it in just minutes. You should be paid for your acquired knowledge, a LOT more than a railroad worker. You guys are the backbones of this country. Thank you for what you do.
Appreciate the nice comment SuperiorWhiteKing. I'm blushing.
What a very kind thing for you so say. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
What an interesting topic. Thanks for sharing . I was on some rails today and saw I tie plate stamped 1937. So cool.
Edit: thanks for sharing the article with Franke
Seems like a ton of folks found this to be interesting also drockjr.
Was swell of your to stop by and take in the presentation my friend.
I appreciate an analysis where the presenter presents pros and cons without editorial commentary. Good job!
Thank you for the nice comment Steve. That was very kind of you
to say that. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and may
you have a most blessed day my friend.
I've never seen those with the angle iron. The rr still uses the solid concrete ties in the town where I live.
They are very old style and no one makes them anymore Bill as
you can see why. Thank you for dropping by and taking in tonight's
video on ties my friend.
Thank you for an interesting and informative video.
Where I am what you call a tie, we call a sleeper.
I have always felt that if a length of track is being laid new or being replaced then concrete sleepers can be used, but not if you are replacing sleepers spasmodically as normally happens.
Here in Victoria, Australia I do not believe we use chemically treated sleepers. End of life the sleepers are either used for landscaping or burnt. They make great light up fuel for steam engines or to burn in a suitable boiler. Also home fires. Sometimes the sleepers will disintegrate before or as they are removed.
Concrete sleepers, due to their weight do need machines to move them, more so than wooden sleepers.
I am sure there are sleeper plates that are fastened to the sleeper in the conventional way - spikes or screws, but then the rail is attached to the plate by clips so when the rail is replaced you do not need to remove the spikes.
Thank you for the nice comment Kevin and sharing that
info with us. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
I would like to make a little comment concerning trees and their contribution to taking in CO2 and releasing O2. This data is from my days at school where I got my degree in biology. I love trees and have many on my property. If you compare what trees vs other plants do in there ability to convert CO2 to O2, a grass field the same size of a field of trees, the grass field does more. The algae in the oceans convert vastly more than all the land plants. This was the data when I was in school and I doubt this has changed. Dave, thanks for your videos, I always look forward to seeing them.
So...should we cut more trees and don't mow our lawns so much?
Using wood is carbon neutral. Concrete plants put out vast amounts of C02 in the process of making the concrete.
Thank you for the very interesting comment Charles. Great stuff you presented! Appreciate your taking the time to visit and check out the railroad tie video my friend
Trees are 24/7, grass not!
Thanks, Dave for the in-depth seminar on rail ties. So many interesting facets there. Best wishes for getting mud and fines out of your cribs.
Thank you for the nice comment Jacques and the well wishes. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
It's amazing just how complicated a stick of wood can be. I remember when UP switched out the Tehachapi Loop of concrete ties. I actually got to work on that project ... No, not the way you'd think. I'm a computer nerd. I did on site service back then. I helped them get their computers up and running in the bunk train. I was actually surprised that with in about 10 years they were replacing ties on the loop. I'd expected concrete ties to last longer. I guess the loop is really hard on the equipment.
Thank you for the nice comment Nerd3Ddotcom, that's very interesting to find that info out about them replacing the ties so
quick. And yep railroads need qualified tech guys like you now
more than ever. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
Visiting England when I was young made me wonder about concrete vs. wood ties. I figured it was due to resources. Fewer trees in England would make wooden ties more expensive than concrete was my guess. On the environmental end of things, I do have to wonder about the carbon accounting. Making cement requires limestone to be cooked at high temperatures, and I don't think they use electricity from windmills and solar panels for that. When that limestone is cooked until it is quick lime, it's slaked with water to convert it to cement. The slaking process releases the carbon dioxide that's been sequestered for (in our general area) anywhere between 200 and 400 million years. While the burning of fossil fuels is the main culprit for carbon dioxide increase, cement manufacture is a significant player also. While trees capture carbon dioxide, it's released fairly quickly as the tree rots. Landfills are capped with clay that restricts water penetration, and while those old ties will eventually rot, that process would be slowed quite significantly, delaying that re-entry of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Assuming every tree is replaced as it's cut, I don't know if concrete ties are better for the environment over all.
I don't know about hardwoods, but in the US softwoods are grown as a crop, both pulp and lumber.
It's a longer cycle than corn, but farming nonetheless.
Modern railways in Europe are all now continuously welded rail and using wooden ties (called sleepers in the UK) isn't really up to that job as the rail has to be held very firmly. That has a longer life too and is quieter but it does require a very good and stable trackbed maintained to a high standard. European mainlines also tend to have higher running speeds than US ones and they are much more passenger orientated. That makes CWR and a very smooth trackbed essential.
Also, those concrete ties are much more durable, especially in a wet environment.
@@TheEulerID Our Class 1 railways are continuous weld on wooden ties here.
What's key is the underlying road bed. Dave's really up against it on his line, what with the fines escaping the old rolling stock, and I'm guessing the topography doesn't help either. But I've seen the road bed on the CN mainline here in SW Ontario, and it's immaculate. Continuous welded rail, all on wooden ties.
@@mbvoelker8448 People here in SW Ontario will plant hardwoods as a "crop". Most farms have a woodlot of a few acres. I have a friend with 60 acres of woodlot on an almost 200 acre farm. They told me years ago they could pay off the remaining mortgage if they let a logger in. (They opted not to) I was rather skeptical, as the woodlot was a very mature forest, probably "old growth" (there's ways to tell) that had never been cut and the land never put to the plow. So the trees were tall, yes, but skinny. Not even the diameter of a phone pole in most cases. But I ran into someone else who knew more than me and they said they take those hardwoods for making veneer, and it's very profitable. So we may look at an Oak and think it just takes too long from planting to harvest, but it's not nearly as long as one thinks before it has market value. And even if it extends beyond the lifespan of the landowner, such trees enhance property value.
Thank you Rod for sharing your thoughts with us, very interesting
comment. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
You are doing the best job I've seen of keeping the rail open. My hat off to you my friend. America needs more like you . God bless you!
Thank you for the nice comment bain5872. That was very thoughtful of you to say that. Appreciate your taking the time to visit and check out the railroad tie video my friend
@@ccrx6700 It was my pleasure. Rail road maintenance is one of the hardest most demanding jobs. My hats off to anyone who does it. Thanks for videos. I really enjoy your watching.
For a bit of colour, there is a lot of coal mining in my area, Central Queensland, Australia. The coal rail system here carries around 100 million tonnes of coal a year so you can appreciate that's a lot of wagons, and multiple locos, per train running all day, every day. It's all carried on concrete sleepers. I'm pretty sure it was wood when the rails went in initially in the late 60s and early 70s but they didn't last taking local conditions into consideration.
Horses for courses, as they say.
@WDHIII When I see the vast output of coal mines and the ever increasing amount of coal being shipped I can't help but wonder what sort of real impact all the green measures are really having.
Thank you for sharing that info with us retro machine. Guess they found out what works best for them. That's nice. Appreciate your taking the time to visit and check out the railroad tie video my friend
I stumbled up on this channel and for the life of me can’t remember how! Your channel has become one of my favorites! Keep up the fun content!
Thank you for the nice comment George, glad you are enjoying
the home movies and we are pleased to have you with us. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video my friend.
@@ccrx6700 thank you for the great reply!! Your demeanor is addicting my friend!! Thanks again! Be safe buddy!
@georgeh75 thank you 👍😊
I've seen some interesting track that has plastic ties and steel ties also. It's the spur that runs from the BNSF main to Fort Leonard Wood
Thank you for sharing that with us Rod. Appreciate your
taking the time to visit and take in the RR tie video my friend.
@@ccrx6700 Thanks. It was quite fascinating. It came out at a time also where the BNSF is getting ready to replace ties on a main line that I drive over every day. Rather neat to see all the ties laid out along the track
What a very good Video, back along before I retired I was a PW Engineer in SW Britain, although the Branch I worked on during the Week had mainly Timber Sleepers at weekend I worked on the Mainline where different types of Concrete Sleepers were used. On the our Branch which was jointed Track we did all the maintenance , eg packing, realignment, Sleeper/Rail changing by hand but on the Mainline where it was CWR Concrete Track we had Tampers and Stone Blowers to pack and align the Track. Rail changing and stressing was done by hand, and we’d bar in 600 foots of Rail by hand and clip it up by hand too after stressing. I remember one night I spent 10 Hours on the wrong end of a Key Hammer (Spike Maul) knocking out rusted rail Clips for replacement. Good old Days.
Thank you Peter for taking the time to watch the video and write in
with your thoughts. May you have a most blessed day my friend.
Quite a few cement kilns use shredded ties as additional fuel. Other alternative kiln fuels are shredded tires and plastic medical waste.
Thank you for sharing that Keith, we sell coal to a cement plant
somewhere in Florida. Some power plants in other parts of
the country use ties as fuel also. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
I visited New Jersey several times between 2002 and 2010. On one visit concrete ties were being replaced on the line between Newark and Trenton. Laying at the side of the track were thousands of broken ones which had already been changed in spot replacements, and now all of gremlins were being replaced. The ones which had broken looked very similar to those we use here in the UK, where they are known as sleepers, but I have never seen large numbers of them break up at the ends like they did over there. Also, the ones which had broken up looked fairly new, in places where older ones were in use the problem did not seem to happen.
Concrete ties have been around for a long time, at least since the Second World War.
Thank you for the interesting comment Stephen. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
Has it been determined that the type of ballast you use is the best for the various reasons that a ballast type is chosen for any particular area? I don't know but imagine the type of tie you use would have some bearing on the ballast you use as well correct? I'm pretty ignorant concerning such things and try to have some kind reasonability behind such questions. I really like you Dave, your a good man and I very much appreciate the opportunities presented you to teach what I see as a greater appreciation for the work involved in such an important form if transportation.
Thank you for the nice comment Johnny. The ballast we have is
limestone because it's what is available here to us from a local
quarry. We cannot afford granite. Appreciate your taking the time to visit and take in the RR tie video my friend.
Eight miles of chewed up track! That would be "fun" to clean up with concrete ties... sheesh. I really appreciate all the info in your video, including the material in the end. You'd never know just how complex the railroad is from just looking at a section of track!
Thank you for the nice comment 2xKTfc, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
For light weight, high speed passenger service concrete provides superior ride performance over wood. Conversely, slower, heavier, longer trains need the endurance and flexibility of wood. Creosote is a generic term than can reference any one of 2000 wood preserving chemical mixtures and is not always carcinogenic. Personally I prefer good old fashioned coal tar. Nothing but mostly long carbon chains that create a great water and insect barrier. I don't like some of the new tie treatments as they smell of pure insecticide.
Oh, and Alco the Railroad Dog approves of this video. I enjoyed also.
Thank you for the nice comment Ken and Alco, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
Hey Dave! I know nothing about trains but I've always loved the sound of them. Your amazing enthusiasm won me over and I'll be learning a lot from your channel, I think. Cheers!
Thank you for the very nice comment Hugo. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and check out the tie show my friend.
Some years ago, the Monticello Railway Museum, in conjunction with the University Of Illinois Railroad Engineering Division, did an experiment with some concrete ties to test their durability next to some wood ties at a crossing in the museum's small railroad yard. Its been quite a few years since ive been there, so i dont know how the experiment turned out.
Thank you for the nice comment Paul, I would love to know the
answer if you ever do find it out. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
Very good detail on wood vs concrete ties
Glad you liked it Charles. Appreciate your kind comment. Thank you for taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.
I love this channel.
Thank you Richard for the very kind words. Great to hear you
are having a good time with us. We certainly appreciate having
you around my friend.
@@ccrx6700 I have watched a lot of your videos and your content is first class. I have learned so much about railroading and your energy and enthusiasm is downright contagious.
@@rtqii thank you 😊👍
@@ccrx6700 I think you are truly a major asset to the railroad industry in general, and for the rails you work on. Your knowledge, experience, and understanding of the system is impeccable in my opinion. I sincerely want to see better pay and benefits for railroad workers like yourself, and better rail safety precautions for the industry in general.
@@rtqii what a kind comment Richard. Thank you
Your forum about track ties is just what I needed the most. I like concrete ties, also called by some railroads in the world, "Slippers," because more concrete ties may be made than wooden ties. Wooden ties still have their places in the railroad. Concrete ties cannot be placed on every kind of railroad structure. In the interim, wooden ties and slippers have advantages and disadvantages. This show is the best one I have ever watched.
Thank you for the very nice comment, best show you've ever watched,
wow that's quite a compliment Captain Keyboard. I'm very glad you
enjoyed it. Can't thank you enough for watching and may you have
a very good day my friend.
@@ccrx6700 You are welcome. I wish that if push comes to shove when someone speaks of trouble against you, I would have your back. Happy Railroading!💙⭐
one thing that people don't realize is that concrete and wood ties also provide a very different ride, especially in steam locomotives, because the ties are much more rigid
You are absolutely right in that SuperAWaC. Much stiffer ride
on concrete. Thank you for sharing that. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
Hello from Dallas Texas, God bless you Dave thank you for everything you do.
Thank you for the nice comment Donnie, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
Well Dave now I see and heard all the answers to the questions I had for you on ties a few videos back. I'm amazed on the difference between wood and concrete. WOOD IS THE Winner !! Thanks again Dave for lots of great information and time well spent doing these videos for everyone. 👍👍
Thank you for the nice comment Jim, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
No it isn't. In parts of the world where they take their railways seriously, it is all concrete. Here in the UK wood was ditched years ago.
Several years ago I visited a friend who lives near North Platte NE on the UP main. The 3 main line tracks are 100% concrete but all sightings and spur tracks are wooden ties. He showed me where 2 or 3 covered Hoppers had jumped the track and even though they were empty they cracked the concrete ties and the pile of rubble was substantial. Back about 100 years ago our local streetcar system made several batches of concrete ties apparently more for testing than actual major usage. There still are about 50 of them used as a retaining wall along their private right-of-way which still has high voltage lines utilizing. Theyve held up well and you can still read the company initials TMER&L. CO. 10\27\25 and the day they poured the form. Thanks for the info
Thank you for the interesting comment Paul. Glad you shared about
the UP pile of rubble! WE don't want one of them here... :-) Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
European countries have enough wood for wooden sleepers.
I mean, it was common until the 1960s.
Wooden sleepers are mainly used in low speed areas. Low frequency of trains.
Mainly in marshalling yards, still to be found.
Since the damage in the event of a derailment is significantly lower.
important for the extent of the damage is the weight per axle (and speed), we have only max 48501 pounds per axle. yes the concrete sleeper gets a damage, usually at 15 mp/h (shunting speed) not enough to damage the gauge. Witnessed the aftermath of 3 those derailments, because people are stupid. None higher speed so far.
Rarely still used on lines that are neither dead nor alive at slower speeds.
However, when going faster than 80-100 mp/h, I prefer concrete sleepers.
Everything around 40-50 mp/h, wood is fine.
Without wanting to offend you, your ballast looks more like mud with sprinkles.
So far i didnt notice a difference between wooden and concrete sleepers in bad ballast, i will keep an eye on it.
The most important thing is of course numbers, most accidents happen us during shunting.
Everything has advantages and disadvantages, old wooden sleepers are disposed of separately as hazardous material here - huge cost.
Sleepers that are not prestressed are useless. I get behind that.
American train lines are usually only for freight, with freight trains usually only an "economic" damage. Therefore, it can be offset, from a certain point, regular but not frequent accidents are cheaper than maintenance to prevent this. (Tracks and cars)
At least in the short term - thats my take away.
Safety first, it costs and takes time - not the best for the CEO but the right thing to do. imo.
Bonus point for concrete sleepers, usually u get machine to install em.
Wooden are done way to often only with hand tools - thats gets rough if a crew mate is sick.
best wishes
Thank you for the excellent comment Jonas. I don't know how anyone could put concrete ties in by hand, it's hard enough with wood. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
Great video, great explanation of why most Railroads use wood ties. Also your explanation of track/ ballast/ xties addhesion.
Thank you for the nice comment and glad you enjoyed it Thomas.
Really appreciate your watching and may you have a very good
day my friend.
Why would some use steel
I will do a future video on steel ties at some point Clark and
answer all your questions in that one. Thank you for visiting with
us tonight and writing in my friend.
@@ccrx6700
Thank you very much. I saw a video where they was replacing wood with steel in a tunnel. If anyone would know the pros and cons you would.
Thanks again my friend
@@clarklindquist8137 👍😊
Loved the Video! been railroadin for awhile. im 35. ive worked on locomotives for years. learned how to build bridges over at Brink engineering services. then i came back and learned track maintance!
Thank you mmmyykkee, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate very much
your taking the time to check out the video. Keep on railroading my friend!
I would point out that wood is a renewable resource. while concrete must be manufactured through mining and baking with petrochemicals. Creosote and specifically pentathol is an environmental nightmare and a carcinogen.
Thank you for sharing that info with us Lynn. Appreciate your
taking the time to visit and take in the RR tie video my friend.
Wood rail road ties are soaked in creasote
Concrete is not manufactured by the chemicals or bs listed
Definitely an education in thus video.. wow lots of great info Dave. In my ravels, the only place I see concrete is passenger service areas but freight runs on the same line. Never seen the angle iron type, definitely a bad idea. And never knew the 1 wheel derailment would crack a solid tie in half. Make me think twice when railfanning those areas.. Great video today Dave.. Great great stuff. Keep up the great work. Be safe out there..
Thank you for the nice comment Pappy. All RR's have their own
unique track problems/weather/economics, etc. There is no one tie
out there that is ideally suited for every single RR going. Each
RR has to use what is the best option for them, and often use
different options for different sections of track. Concrete, steel, composite or wood all have their pros and cons. It is a good thing
that there are options available to suit each RR's particular needs.
Appreciate your taking the time to watch the video and write in
my friend.
My wife asked me about the difference in the ties. Thanks for the info.
And now she knows. What a great wife to want to learn about ties
Paul! Very much appreciate your taking the time to check out the video on concrete vs wood ties my friend.
A sidebar comment (sorry, didn't know where else to post it): I rode on a steam train over the weekend! Nickel Plate 765. Three of the coaches were from your neck of the woods (former Pennsylvania Railroad coaches No. 142, 147, and 148). What an experience!
Thanks for the channel!
Thank you for the very nice comment Mark, how awesome you
got to ride behind 765, that is a dream for me to do sometime.
And oh for sure would have to ride in a PRR car! Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and write in my friend.
This was a really interesting topic you hit on Dave. Your knowledge of trains and all the things associated with them always amazes me. I enjoy you taking the time to share it with us.
Thank you for the nice comment William, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
I enjoy you're videos, you're very knowledgeable and funny.....! Makes me smile..!
Thank you for the very nice comment Stephanie, that was
really thoughtful of you to say that. We appreciate your taking the time to check out the video my friend.
Good video as always.
Thank you for the kind words Wondering Lens. Appreciate your
taking the time to visit and take in the RR tie video my friend.
Once again you outdid yourself on this presentation. Well presented facts, thanks Dave.
Thank you for the very kind words Gary. Could have talked for
a whole day on the differences. Always is a pleasure to have
you visit and hear from you my good friend.
Dave you had another really good video this evening I really enjoyed it . Dave i have been watching some of your older videos witch i like watch i to look back some ones that really haven't looked at yet.
Thank you for the very nice comment Mike, glad you are enjoying all
the home movies. Appreciate your taking the time to visit and check out the railroad tie video and write in my friend
This guy is great. Love the channel!
Thank you for the kind words Eric, glad you are enjoying. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
Wow Dave excellent class on concrete ties, answered all my questions and then some.👍👍
Thank you for the nice comment Russell. All RR's have their own
unique track problems/weather/economics, etc. There is no one tie
out there that is ideally suited for every single RR going. Each
RR has to use what is the best option for them, and often use
different options for different sections of track. Concrete, steel, composite or wood all have their pros and cons. Appreciate your taking the time to watch the video and write in my friend.
@@ccrx6700 Thanks Dave
Thank you. I learned a lot of things I did not know. Always a good day when that happens.
Thank you for the nice comment Mike, glad you enjoyed. We appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
A few years ago CNR started changing changing back to wooden ties due to the fact that slag they used for ballast was wearing out the ties from the bottom
Thank you for sharing that info with us Daventry. we considered
using slag here many years ago, it is cheap to buy, but we never did.
I can't imagine it would have a good effect on tamper tools that
have to penetrate the slag. Appreciate your taking the time to visit and check out the railroad tie video my friend
Hey Dave.... I just noticed that you have over 57,000 subscribers now! WOW! Thats awesome! Great job! :)
Thank you Mike for the nice comment. That number just amazes me.
But it's because of great folks like yourself who watch. We truly appreciate the great support you have given the channel my friend.
Also wet/dry years resulted in Pumping which needed ballast replacement, formation repair and the appropriate ballasting and tamping. Have a good day.
PS - I am your age and dont play with track anymore - I am a carer, but I'm still interested in trains and track, hence why I watch your videos!
We get a lot of track pumping also in wet seasons Don. Always a constant pain to deal with those places. Glad you are enjoying watching the home movies.
Thank you Dave. Another super informative and interesting video !!! James.
Appreciate the nice comment James, glad you enjoyed. Thank you very much for taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
Hi Dave. Great video and a lot of good information. Have a great day!
Thank you for the nice comment Johnathan, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
Great video! I never in my wildest dreams, imagined that I needed to know about the difference between wood and concrete ties, but the depth of your knowledge and your clear explanation convinced me to watch all the way to the end of this video and actually learn something that I now know that I did, indeed need to know! Thank you!
Thank you for the nice comment and yes, everyone needs to know
the difference in those 2 types of ties William..... LOL Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and check out the tie show my friend.
@@ccrx6700
Love your videos! Stumbled on them and am now hooked. Some questions:
1. How many miles of track do you oversee?
2. How many 39 foot rail sticks per mile? 250 or so?
3. How many ties per mile? 2600 or so?
4. You seem to work alone a lot handling powerful tools and operating big machines. Is that dangerous?
Thank you for making the videos - they are great and really give me a real appreciation of how tough and important your work is.
Hello from the UK, where all new railway track that is laid (except preserved or heritage railways) has concrete sleepers. (You call them ties, we call them sleepers). During lockdown I spent some time watching US rail videos and was struck by the use of wood. I was also surprised to see railway track in regular use where the wooden sleepers/ties looked really rotten. I was really amazed when I saw a Jawtooth video of La Grange, where they dug up the road to lay track for street running. they used wooden sleepers/ties and rebuilt the road over them. To me that didn't make any sense. Thank you for posting this video. Until today, I didn't realise the issue of derail damage to concrete sleepers. I love videos where I learn something new.
Thank you for the nice comment Jeremy. All RR's have their own
unique track problems/weather/economics, etc. There is no one tie
out there that is ideally suited for every single RR going. Each
RR has to use what is the best option for them, and often use
different options for different sections of track. Concrete, steel, composite or wood all have their pros and cons. It is a good thing
that there are options available to suit each RR's particular needs.
Appreciate your taking the time to watch the video and write in
my friend.
Good morning Dave. This is a very interesting video. I like how you show the positive vs negative aspects of the different types of ties. Have a great day my friend.
Thank you for the nice comment Lewis. All RR's have their own
unique track problems/weather/economics, etc. There is no one tie
out there that is ideally suited for every single RR going. Each
RR has to use what is the best option for them, and often use
different options for different sections of track. Concrete, steel, composite or wood all have their pros and cons. It is a good thing
that there are options available to suit each RR's particular needs.
Appreciate your taking the time to watch the video and write in
my friend.
Very interesting information Dave! I never thought about all of the different places a tie can be used, and how they can customize them to match that - I always pictured just one variety!
Thank you for the nice comment Mojo. All RR's have their own
unique track problems/weather/economics, etc. There is no one tie
out there that is ideally suited for every single RR going. Each
RR has to use what is the best option for them, and often use
different options for different sections of track. Concrete, steel, composite or wood all have their pros and cons. It is a good thing
that there are options available to suit each RR's particular needs.
Appreciate your taking the time to watch the video and write in
my friend.
A great analysis Dave. Thanks again for another informative video.
Your very welcome Alan, glad to hear that. Appreciate your kind
comment. Thank you for taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.
@@ccrx6700 👍
Very concise and informative video. Thanks for posting.
Thank you Kevin for the very nice comment. Always is a pleasure
to have you visit and hear from you my friend.
Excellent video. Thanks.
Appreciate the nice comment Greg, glad you enjoyed. Thank You for taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.
Dave has done his homework and we got to look over his shoulder so now we all will get an A+. The man knows well what works best in the environment where his railroad is based and with the conditions that they have to deal with.
Thank you for the nice comment Scotty. All RR's have their own
unique track problems/weather/economics, etc. There is no one tie
out there that is ideally suited for every single RR going. Each
RR has to use what is the best option for them, and often use
different options for different sections of track. Concrete, steel, composite or wood all have their pros and cons. It is a good thing
that there are options available to suit each RR's particular needs.
Appreciate your taking the time to watch the video and write in.
Great video Dave! I love these. So much valuable learning information. Wonderful explanations. 👍
Thank you for the nice comment Dennis, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
A very good information. I gained more knowledge now. Thanks.
Appreciate the kind words Faisal Aziz, glad you had a good time. Thank you very much for taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
Thank you for informing us the differences between wood and concrete ties it helped me understand how railroads decide.
Your very welcome Fred. Glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to visit and check out the railroad tie video my friend
Thanks Dave for another informative video.
Your always welcome John, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
THANK YOU DAVE,VERY GLAD YOU EXPLAINED THIS,VERY COOL@ANY BODY MAKING TIES OUT ALL THE DARN PLASTIC OUT THERE..?
GREAT VIDEO..THANK YOU
Thank you for the nice comment Ralph, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.
Perfect timing! I was going to start looking into this this week👍
Thank you for the kind words MugenDrew. This video is a good
place to start, there is a whole lot more than what I could cover
in such a short video. Every RR has it's own unique situations
and environment and tonnage rates, so there is no one tie does
it all. Each RR has to choose what is best for their own situations
on each different sections of track they have. Thank you for taking
the time to check out the video and write in my friend.
@@ccrx6700 Thank you for all of your video content!
Great railroading channel 👍!