The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-12-16
RAILS TRAVEL WITH TRAINS.
Well Known Phenomenon Under
Investigation by Engineers.
From the Albany Press.

From the Albany Press.
The railroad men of Albany are dis
cussinE at present the subicct of
creeping rails. They regard it as a
curious fact about modern railroading
but So Far there is little knowledge OBJ
tainab.G about IT. The matter is one
which concerns practical road build
ers quite as much as those interested
kontN in the theory Of the thing. 1t was
i'up for discussion at tho recent con-
N"ntion of the New England Roadmas-
ters' association and it is to be brought
M before the Roadmasters' Associa-
tiur "t America al it's meeting in Den
vcr this month.
i.nE!Hcv: Irwin had some comment
t. max" upon tn" subject Il noticed
a writer in the rryrn. issue of the
Railway Ago who discussed the mat
ter al some length. 1t appears that it
has not yCt been determined whether
the movement of tho rails is with or
against the direction Of the heaviest
travel, but there is no doubt that
there is movement sometimes of
considerable amount. Well authenti-
Gated instances. are given of creeping
in both directions and some of them
are quite r"markablr.
"Reference is made to a rail on a
pile trcstlr at Galveston which tray
ellcd nine feet per month. one on
the St. Louis bridge ia mentioned. The
bridge has rise of feet in its length
of loo feet. and the railroad tracks
require constant attention. In the lat
ter parl of 1899 the crrcuing on the
east and west approaches averaged so
feet per month ON each side and on
the bridge structure il varied from
eleven inches to twelve feet, three in
Ches per month for the six months.
The creeping of the extreme south rail
was only two inches more in July
than in December. while on the north
rail the difference between the two
months was twelve feet, two inches
in favor of July. The direction of the
movement was with the track. hut
this does not account for the fact
that in the case OF one track the outer
rail and i'm the other the inner rail
does the most crrcpirg."
As To the general direction If the
rail movement. aside from specific in
stances, Assistant chatham of the chief
engineers Office said: Heavy loads
; ling constantly i'm one direction
a tendency To drive the rails in
the opposite direction. The railway
commissioners. of New South Wales.
after making an investigation. reported
three cases. In one case ii was stated
that the rails on double track road
travelled both together in the direc-
tion Of the traffic: in another ON a
double road the outer rail of the down
line moved in the direction of the traf-
fic, while the rail near the way between
the double tracks remained stationary;
and in still another case, also on n
double road. the rail nearest the mid
die way moved more than the outer
rail, but in the direction Of the traf-
fC.
THE committee Of the New England
Roadmasters' association reported that
IL was well known fact that rails
move or creep in the direction trains
run on the track; on double track
and on single track rails move in the
direction of the heaviest traffic. In
fact, about the only safe deduction is
to be drawn in the present state Of
knowledge is that rails do move"
The reasons for the creeping of rails
have not been determined any more de-
fnitely than the direction of the ardent
movements. Inquiries among the en-
gineers and section men resulted in the
gathering Of many suppositions In
brief they come to these:
That rails have in many places a de-
ctded tendency to creep or travel along
the track, owing to the wave motion
the unbalanced traffic in one direction
the action of braked wheels. the con-
traction ana expansion due to the
changes in the temperature This
creeping is more especially trouble
some, as rule, on steep grades, on
bridges, and on swamp roadbeds. but
may develop at any place.
OF the reasons given the undulatorv
movement of the rails given them by
passing trains seems 10 be the princi-
pa! one. In a perfectly rigid track
there would be no creeping. During
the undulatory movement referred To
the tracks are free To assume a new
position i'm the direction of the greatest
force, or in that of the least resistance.
The momentum Of the train NAV
carry the track along with it, result
ing in a movement of the track i'm
the direction of the heaviest traffic.
or il may be that the freedom of the
rail during the undulatory movement
permits the operation of a stronger
force than that set i'm operation bv
the train, ana this stronger force,
which might be gravity or elasticity,
might cause the track to move in an
opposite direction.
No satisfactory method has vet been
devised TO prevent the creeping or
tracks, other than the use of heavier
rails and the general improvement OF
the tracks. Many years ago ii was
customary to cut out a piece about an
inch square from the fiange of the
rails, about one pair Of rails in every
six being so treated. The spikes which
fastened the rails to the sleepers were
driven in these gaps so that the nails
could not move without taking the