Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-04-07
CONCRETE RAILWAY TIES.
Efforts Made to Introduce Them in
France Are Meeting with
Some Success.

' vi VA III ElCtiNh COiOhiS
near the tropics the ties are gener
ally of iron, timber being destroyed
in a very short time by the climate
or insects. In Cochin China iron i!
used exclusively. In West Africa {
very hard native wood is occasionally
employed.
Four or five years ago M. Sarda, {
cement manufacturer at Perpignan, il
the south of France, proposed the usc
of concrete ties and sent a few sam
pies to the minister of the colonies
but after a careful examination the
engineers of tie public works depart
ment reported that they were insult
able on account of the cost, size, and
extra weight. They were also of the
opinion that concrete ties were best
suited to lines where the traffic was
heavy and frequent express trains ran
whereas on colonial railways the traf
flc Is light and all the train are slow
The ties, however, were satisfactory
as far as strength, endurance, and i'm
munity from damage by climatic
changes and attacks by insects were
concerned and might be employed il
they could be manufactured on the spot
in any Of the French colonies.
Havi2, failed to get his concrete
ties adopted by the minister of the
colonies, N. Sarda her applied to the
state railway in France, and in March,
1900, sent four as a sample. They
were not made entirely of concrete,
but what the french call "ciment
arme," iron and cement combined.
The framework, or skeleton, consisted
of five metal plates, placed vertically
and held in position by stout iron
| wire or thin bars. The interstices were
then filed in with cement. A thin
layer of compressed felt, about one-fifth
of an inch thick, was put between the
tie and the boltheads.
These four ties we're placed on the
line near a small depot, about II miles
from Bordeaux, in October, 1900. A
! year or more later the track overseers
reported that no fault could be found
with them, but it was impossible to
judge from such a small sample. The
maker was therefore requested to
make the number up to 100. These
were duly received and laid down be
tween April 20 and July 1, 1902. The
manufacturer had made a slight change
in the construction so that the bolts
could be replaced If necessary with
out damaging the tie.
The length of line on which con-
crete ties are at present used Is less
than 100 yards. The greatest weight
concentrated on a single pair Of
driving wheels is about IA tons. The
rails are II meters (12 yards) long and
weight SO to 40 Kilograms per meter,
or from II to 81 pounds per v""'' IA
ties are used for each rail of 12 yarls.
The ties are rectangular, with rOr1@Gd
corners and slightly thicker wGerc the
shoe irons are placed; the average
thickness Is about four inches. The
weight of each ties is about 30S pounds
and the cost IA to Is francs ($2.70 to
$500. The only ear used to re-
duce shock is the thin layer of COM
pressed felt already described.
Il II SIOulu D6 IHeuIlOueu IlldJ super
fetal cracks were noticed in 80 of the
100 ties when they were laid down,
but these cracks do not seem to have
spread, for no complaints have been
| received from the track overseers. The
| experiment is too recent to enable any
definite opinion to be formed, for the
| usual life of a tim Jer tie in France is
| about Is years, and therefore con
siderable time must elapse before com
parison can be made as t. whether ce-
ment is superior to timber in its power
to resist shock, atmospheric changes,
replacement of shoes and bolts, wear
and tear, etc. At present it is impos-
sible to say whether any economy
would be effected in track labor or ma
| terial, but in the opinion Of the chief
engineer of the state railway this is not
probable unless the cost of the ties car
| be considerably reduced.
The price now charged is a serious
| obstacle to their employment whatever
their advantages may ultimately prove
to be.
JOHN K. GOWDY.