Yes this can be done exactly as shown, but if he would have taken a chisel with hammer and scored a straight line mark over the top, it would have been a clean break. Railroad Rails are surface hardened on the top, but the lower portion is much softer. That is why he cut the bottom first until he engaged the hardened surface area. The top is very hard but brittle and will break. .......... When the rails were first laid in the late 1800's, the Chinese actually used hack saws chisels and sledge hammers to custom build the tracks. This video was real.
Please can you explain this a bit further? I have 300-400 rail road cuts to make in the next week and have no idea now to do it, I have just been using a chop saw. I never realized you could just cut it like this and snap it.
@@andrewn5239 It's not the same, but the way you cut glass is to score or cause a deep consistent scratch in glass and at the edge of a table you line up the score / scratch mark and bend the glass and it will break at that score line, because it creates a weak spot at that score mark. .......... The railroad rail is very hard on it's top. If you cut a deep chisel mark line all the way around the top of the rail across the top of the rail, that deep chisel cut will create a weak spot where the brittle hardened top of the rail is. You chopsaw from the bottom where the metal is not tempered as much until you get to the hardened portion of the top. Then the rail can be snapped at that chisel mark. .......... Rail road rails must be able to flex as well as be super hard to support the weight of the train. The lower softer portion allows the rail to flex down while the top is not wearing out under the weight pressure. One without the other will cause the rail to fail. An all soft rail would just fold up under the train's weight. Likewise, if the entire rail was super hardened steel, it would be so brittle that when it started to flex under the train's weight, it would merely shatter in a lot of pieces. That chisel score mark merely directs where that energy will be directed and will break at that location. .......... A cutting torch is the most efficient method to cut them, but is not neat and clean at the cut joint edge area and removes the hardness next to the cut. .......... There are other TH-cam rail road rail cutting videos you can check out. ..........
@@ejdprice I've been trying to find one for hot cutting on a 40°+c day when the track has a miss alignment and you gotta hot cut with a rail saw. Where would I be best to start and finish cutting it with the rail saw I am a railroader trying to figure out the best method for the emergency callouts on my section crew 🤔 base then head then flip saw to other side of base. Cause on a hot day a sun kink, when you cut the rail it will grow and expand . And pinch the rail saw so how would I go about cutting it the best with this method ?
Surface hardened on top, by what means? Rails are made in the foundry as one unit, there has never been or never will be hardened head rail, there is HT rail but apart from that your talking bollox
Maybe some people dont have access to these tools you mentioned, then he shows us that it can be done with hand tool.. :-) For sure torch or grinder will easy the job.
@@brianfalls5894 I was impress how quick he saw that thing, though I would have try to finish the cut with the saw only, the hammer was too much I think as it broke the rail track.. :-)
You ain't cutting no American railroad track with a hacksaw. That looks like cast when it breaks too. I don't know what that track is used for but it ain't no train
Depends .. it gets tested from the factory .. certain production runs can be too hard and brittle .. never sees the traditional market but could end up at private companies that have rail going to them .. scrapped also .. top gets work hardened .. but I have had some you could bend with an excavator into a knot without breakage.. I used to buy alot.. just take a quality carbon steel drill bit .. give it a try on the web .. hard rail won't even make a scratch .. you can with normal but it's still much harder than mild steel
Railroader here
It's called proper tool for the job. It's called a rail saw . Wow !!!
Yes this can be done exactly as shown, but if he would have taken a chisel with hammer and scored a straight line mark over the top, it would have been a clean break. Railroad Rails are surface hardened on the top, but the lower portion is much softer. That is why he cut the bottom first until he engaged the hardened surface area. The top is very hard but brittle and will break. .......... When the rails were first laid in the late 1800's, the Chinese actually used hack saws chisels and sledge hammers to custom build the tracks. This video was real.
Please can you explain this a bit further? I have 300-400 rail road cuts to make in the next week and have no idea now to do it, I have just been using a chop saw. I never realized you could just cut it like this and snap it.
@@andrewn5239 It's not the same, but the way you cut glass is to score or cause a deep consistent scratch in glass and at the edge of a table you line up the score / scratch mark and bend the glass and it will break at that score line, because it creates a weak spot at that score mark. ..........
The railroad rail is very hard on it's top. If you cut a deep chisel mark line all the way around the top of the rail across the top of the rail, that deep chisel cut will create a weak spot where the brittle hardened top of the rail is. You chopsaw from the bottom where the metal is not tempered as much until you get to the hardened portion of the top. Then the rail can be snapped at that chisel mark. ..........
Rail road rails must be able to flex as well as be super hard to support the weight of the train. The lower softer portion allows the rail to flex down while the top is not wearing out under the weight pressure. One without the other will cause the rail to fail. An all soft rail would just fold up under the train's weight. Likewise, if the entire rail was super hardened steel, it would be so brittle that when it started to flex under the train's weight, it would merely shatter in a lot of pieces. That chisel score mark merely directs where that energy will be directed and will break at that location. ..........
A cutting torch is the most efficient method to cut them, but is not neat and clean at the cut joint edge area and removes the hardness next to the cut. ..........
There are other TH-cam rail road rail cutting videos you can check out. ..........
@@ejdprice - thanks for your explanation/ information!
@@ejdprice I've been trying to find one for hot cutting on a 40°+c day when the track has a miss alignment and you gotta hot cut with a rail saw. Where would I be best to start and finish cutting it with the rail saw I am a railroader trying to figure out the best method for the emergency callouts on my section crew 🤔 base then head then flip saw to other side of base. Cause on a hot day a sun kink, when you cut the rail it will grow and expand . And pinch the rail saw so how would I go about cutting it the best with this method ?
Surface hardened on top, by what means? Rails are made in the foundry as one unit, there has never been or never will be hardened head rail, there is HT rail but apart from that your talking bollox
How many days it takes?? Weeks??
Only about 10..minutes was enough..
Reminds me of a 1920s movie about a jail break ....
As a railroad worker, i am impressed
As a railwayman I am surprised your impressed
How to cut half the rail, then break the top
Somehow I missed the easy part
Wtf?? “ I been workin on the rail road all freakin week long!!!
I donot know how to cut it. I'll do it as you did.
Simple Trick..Firstly cut bottom line after 80% cutting..hit top side on big hammer.. simple Trick👍🇮🇳
Track made out of 100% Chineseium
Bet he didn't get that blade from Harbor Freight! ...
You can just use a 7” cut-off wheel on your grinder. Better yet, rent a Stihl metal chop saw from the hardware store.
Something tells me they don't have a fancy hardware store down the street lol
@@Will-tm5bj =D
How long did that take??
2months loll hahaha
It takes about nearly 2 months
That's what I have an angle grinder for. Or a cutting torch. A whole lot easier than doing it like that. Just my own humble opinion here.
Maybe some people dont have access to these tools you mentioned, then he shows us that it can be done with hand tool.. :-) For sure torch or grinder will easy the job.
@@einzigkeit7216 That's a good point.
@@brianfalls5894 I was impress how quick he saw that thing, though I would have try to finish the cut with the saw only, the hammer was too much I think as it broke the rail track.. :-)
Well he got er done 🤷
Yea dude did all thar with a hack saw
You’d have to be really strong to pick that big piece up one handed , or it’s lighter than any stuff I’ve lifted lol
It probably makes a difference that he's in what appears to be a third world country, or those are for minecarts or something I have no clue.
I agree, the heavy duty rails are twice as thick as this one.
You ain't cutting no American railroad track with a hacksaw. That looks like cast when it breaks too. I don't know what that track is used for but it ain't no train
@@fullyenvenomated757 hacksaw is basically a band sae.. so really it just comes down to time and effort..
@@goinhot9133 thank God for power tools
Easy Easy very easy 😌👌🤣😅😂
Make from it an anvil
Screw that! Is that an arrow Head in the background
6 weeks later...
Easily LOL
always thought it was quite brittle
Depends .. it gets tested from the factory .. certain production runs can be too hard and brittle .. never sees the traditional market but could end up at private companies that have rail going to them .. scrapped also .. top gets work hardened .. but I have had some you could bend with an excavator into a knot without breakage.. I used to buy alot.. just take a quality carbon steel drill bit .. give it a try on the web .. hard rail won't even make a scratch .. you can with normal but it's still much harder than mild steel
In what world is that easy, I could cut it in ten minutes or less with a cutting wheel.
This is the difference between an USA made and an Asian/Indian made rail track....If was USA made the guy still there try to cut Nov. 2020
India is an Asian country.
He would have used 1327 blades and went through 3 phones to film it!!