The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-22
rHE RAILS IN HOT WKAT8Bh
Immense PerpIexity Cssssd 10 Trsckmss %
the San In Summer


Immense PerpIexity Cssssd 70 rr~kmss "
the San In Summer.
The bsot almost caused q wreck on one OF the
minor railroads IN this State one day during the
recent hot spell by causing the steel rah 70
expand 10 a dangerous degree. Happily the
danger was discovered IN time TO send OUT Q
"slov order " until the tracks could be mended.
The road In question Is not q great trunk Inc
but It does considerable business at this season
In carrying city folk to . land OF MILK SCENERY
no mosquitoes and altitude.
The theory Of a correct roadbed Is TO con-
struct It with the greatest possible degree OF
solldity. and at the same time to preserve the
necessary elasticity. The need OF the latter
viii be appreciated when one considers that the
striking force Of q train at full speed Is several
hundred tons. Further to preserve this elias
ticity the rails are laid with Q slight space be-
tween them; with this spao entirely occupied
by the expansion there ~as danger that. tn the
instance cted, the rails might curl underneath
the train or possibly be thrown entirely out OF
place when sunlcient pressure had accumulated
In front Of the engine. A train In motion u
preceded by q wave. Just such q one % you may
have noticed In front Of q man skating over
very thin Ice. although 1t u Of course In much
less degree noticeable.
A railroad track in summer Is about tho
hottest place on the top side Of the earth. 1t
generally lies perfectly fiat and y unprotected
from the suns rays by Q bit Of shade. and the
cinders, gravel. crushed stone and steel which
make up the roadbed all love the heat and
cherish Il. II becomes 90 hot after q few hours
exposure to the suns rsys that q man can
scarcely keep his hand upon 1t anywhere. IL
you happen to be out on the line on q sunny day.
away from the congestion OF terminal ratnoi
you can repeatedly hear a long slidinS kino Oh
"Cllnk. Clonk." The t~rackwalker VII teIy 9
that the rails are creeping, as they always 20
hot weather, and that 10 literally what % hap
pening; Where the rails are Joined TO eaSn On
i Ssssr 'f b sd Is 's sIass q AsslRs's g q Ss asSt d sns 2!
these cracks early In the morning and return at
noon the space Will be entirely shut ana thS
paper cut almost a. cleanly Us though IL mao
been done with a pair Of scissors; ..u
AZ q matter Of sthct t tsHHth, cr nSwsver sno nsTS
properly laid upon q well-ballasted track. II
Is doubtful whether ? wreck caused "a a un,s
an act OF God. and in an ordinary, case OF ths
Kind il Us more than likely that the company
: negligent in not having kept us 1raSx 4I
modern trains, with their .~contantly Increasing
weight and speed. The danger, Is augmented.
too. when the track has not been properly
tfluIHu hlu u Vho v $3.50 49,
experience In railroad construction and re-
pair work are familiar with. this very danger
! and many OF them have had practical expert
enoe In cleaning up wrecks caused by the neat
The pressure of a train upon the heated track
has been known TO cause a rail- merely TO bulge,
| and sometim en- the rails have been known TO
| bend like the lash OF a whip and assume the
shape of q letter ); and once upon q time " hap
pened that a railroad lost one 1an a. eoI npt saw
into the air. At any rate, 1t has never been
seen since, and it is supposed 10 be resting
In the bottom Of The river on whose bank ani the
minent enough to cause passengers even q
| momentary terror. nevertheless the sun at
this season causes the traoxmeS an i'm a. snse
ties Of their position may be suggested by re-
calling the roadmaster's story Of the two Kansas
towns that were thirty-eisht railroad miles
Like most things that. &c. on day after day
on the railroad. the work Of the section fore
mar Is sra,sely T Tnder msn ~ and cb, more If often ten
| malntenance-of-way department Is. OF course.
a skilled engineer: with many other engineers
under hin who do the field work and plan
things. But the man upon whom finally de.
riding shape |. the section foreman. He Is
usually Irish, gets from $40 to E6 2 month;
must be on hand or within reach at all times OF
the, day, and night, and must understand a
| multitude Of things connected with his practi-
cal trade. every detail q NV which must DO CON-
makes 1t necessary for him to be out Of doors
on every day Of every season, for a very slight
| depression In the track Is enough TO throw the
passengers Of the mile-a-ininute flyer out OF
their seats, and II may soon be pounded into q
dangerous hole, He Is not an engineer. and
he rarely uses any instruments, but he can glance
at a stretch Of track and tell you exactly what
is the matter with II and how TO mend II, and
he can lay q curve with a skill and accuracy
that battles the boys on the engineer corps.
Day after day he is tlnkering away at his tracks.
and on occasion he can rip out a mile Of rails
ping a single train. The irish track foreman
actually accounts for a greater proportion Of
the railroads expenditures than any other
roading Is In the roadbed and its equipment
and the expense Of maintaining IT, The track
foreman Is In fact an important employee.
his sunburned face Is while he Is being whisked
by between stations at sixty miles an hour.