The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-16
RAILS TRAVEL WITH TRAINS.
The Well-Known Phenomenon Under In,
vostiEntion by Engineers.
Eron, N. 1u,.,, p.u.

From he Albany Press.
The railroad men OF Albany are discussing
at present the subject of creeping rails. They
regard it as n curious fact about modern rail-
reading, but so far there is little knowledge
obtainable about il. The matter is one which
concerns practical road builders quite as much
as those interested only in the theory of the
thing. 1t vas up for discussion at the recent
convention Of the New England Roadmasters'
Association and 1t is to be brought UP before
the Roadmasters' Association of America at its
meeting in Denver this month.
Engineer Irwin had some comments to make
upon the subject. Il noticed a writer in a re-
cent issue Of the RdillCdy Age who discussed
the matter at some length. 1t appears that it
has not yet been determined whether the
movement OF the rails Is with or against the
direction Of heaviest travel. but there is no
doubt that there is a movement. sometimes OF
considerable amount. Northumberland in
stances are given of creeping in both directions
and some Of them are quite remarkable.
Reference is made to q rail on a pile trestle
at Galveston which travelled nine feet per
] month. One on the st. Louis bridge is men
toned. The bridge has a rise OF five feet In it's
length Of 1900 feet. and the railroad tracks re-
quire constant attention. In the latter half Of
1893 the creeping on the east and west ap-
proaohes averaged sixty feet per month on
each side and on the bridge structure II varied
from eleven inches to twelve feet three inches
per month for the six months. The creeping
OF tho 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. but this does not account for
the fact that in the case of one track the outer
rail and In the other the inner rail does the
most creeping"
As to the general direction of rail movement.
ham OF the chief engineers Office said: Heavy
loads pulling constantly in one. direction have
direction. The hallway CommissionePs OF
New South Wales. after making an investi9a-
tion: reported three cases. In one case it was
travelled both together in the direction of the
traffic: in another on n double road the outer
rail- on the down line moved In the direction of
the traffic. while the rail near the way be-
tween the double tracks remained stationary:
the rail nearest the middle way moved more
than the outer rail. but in the direction of the
"The committee of tho New England Road
well-known fact that rails move or creep in
double track. and on single track rails move
In the, direction of the heaviest traffic. In
drawn in the present state OF knowledge Is
that rails do move,'
Inc fedSDnS lOF the Cf6eIllR OF rails have
not been determined any more definitely
than the direction of the ardent m
Inquiries among the engineers and section
positions. In brief they come to these:
That rails have In many places a decided
tendency to creep. or travel along the track.
owing 10 the wave, motion. the unbalanced
traffic In one direction. the action OF braked
wheels. the contraction and EXPANSION due
70 the changes in the temperature. This
creeping Is more especially troublesome, as a
rule. on steep, grades, on bridges. and on
QNynm mn rnAHhAng hmf nav nAVAlnnF MT N
place.
Of the reasons given the undulatory move
trains seems to be the principal one. In a
perfectly rigid track there would be no creep
Ing. During the undulatory movement re-
ferred to, the tracks are free to assume g new
position In the direction OF the greatest force,
or in that OF the least resistance.
The momentum. of the train may carry the
track along with 1t; resulting ia u movement
OF the track in the direction of heaviest tratlie.
Or 1t may be that the freedom of the rail dui-
Ing the undulatory movement permits the
operation OF q stronger force than that set in
operation by the train. and this stronger force,
which might be gravity or elasticity. might
cause the track to move In an opposite direc-
No satisfactory method has yet been devised
70 prevent the creeping OF tracks, other than
the use OF heavier rails and the general Inn.
Vas customary 10 cut out q piece about an
inch square from. the hange otthe rails. about
The spikes which fastened tho rails TO the
sleepers were driven IN these gaps. SO that the
Tdllh cOulu npi move WITHOUT thkllR tnt Sleep
ers, and ballast with them, A long list Of
broken rails. which were, set, down ~ the cut
rails, soon led to the abandonment OF this
practice.
Later a semlcIrcular hole was cut with u
milling tool, and every rail was anchored
through q hole cut in the ilanRe at the Joint
sleepers only, but this method. which was stig-
mAtlzed by Sir benjamin Baker as q "barbar-
Gus practice carried out only in Ireland" Ia Il
treatment OF symptoms rather than OF causes.
and most OF the methods. since proposed are
open 70 the same objections. Models OF in
v~entions designed to overcome the difficulty
are to be seen In Engineer Twins office. but
they do not strike az the source OF ANNOYANCE.
Any invention which comes to be generally
adopted by railroads makes a fortune for It's
contriver, and this fact applies TO the, creep
ing rail problem. 1t is not TO be solved by
hacking at the rails themselves or by other
wise impalrlnR the stability of the roadbed.
II must be In line, with as clearly defined u
scientific law as that which determines the
moyement OF rails In consequence OF pressure,
Many prastieal railroad men laugh at the
problem, declaring there Is nothing grave
about H. Their attention has not beeq long
fact, and the railroad authorities must face
as they have faced many an obstacle since
the laying OF the first track in the United
stateS :