> "S"peaking of ties, my son-in-law, a retired SP/UP engineer, told me
> that track is still safe (at slow speeds) even if only one tie out of
> five remains. In other words, if four ties out of five were removed,
> the train could still pass over it safely. Deliberately over engineered
> to provide a margin of safety. Interesting, eh?....Ed L.
FWIW:
Yes, in an emergency, you can get a train over such a track with severe
speed restrictions (5 MPH or slower) and some weight considerations, but far
from being an over-engineered situation.
Such a temporary condition as you describe would also depend on the weight
and condition of rail you're talking about, too. Light rail in such an
unsupported condition could prove risky. If heavier welded rail, you would
not want to allow such a temporary track situation to be subject to higher
temps (i.e. above 75 ambient temp in direct sunlight). There would be
insufficient ties to help hold the rail from kicking out into a major sun
kink. I have seen such sun kinks shoot out up to 4' before.
All that truly supports a railroad is wood: The ties. Once those are going
south, problems begin. Rails begin to sag into throat-cut/blown-out ties,
rail begins to spread, cross-level goes to crap, as does alignment. Good
ties and good rock can prolong the life of the rail many fold. Railroading
over crappy track is stressful to be sure.
Andre Ming
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