The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-04-04
RAILROAD NEWS.
Santa Fe Experimenting With
Reinforced Concrete Ties.
In for Almost Three Years and
Show No Weakness.
THE COST is SMALL.
e COST is SMALL.
Company Could Make New Ties
at Cost of $1.OO Each.
Other Items of General Interest
in Railroad World.

In an effort to make more progress in
the mighty tie problem Of the modern
American railroad today, the Santa Fe
railway has taken I'D with vigor the re-
inforced concrete tie experiment and
has witnessed the first signs of sue
cess.
In June. 1907. the Atchison. Topeka &
Santa Fe placed 20 reinforced concrete
ties in the main track between Los
Angeles, Cal. and Redonda Junction
In March, 1908. the inspector of track
and roadway reported that the ties
showed mo indication of deterioration
or failure in any way, and IN April
1870 they were reported to be lin first
class condition in every respect The
track on this line is ballasted with
gravel and the traffic is heavy.
The Mcdonald tie is reinforced with
horizontal steel rods bent up under the
rail seats and tied together at inter-
walls with vertical rods, which serve
also as web reinforcement. Tho rail Is
secured TO the tie by spiking into sec
tions of wrought iron pipe set In the
concrete. The inside diameter or the
pipe used for this purpose is little
less than the greatest dimension OF the
spike, in order that the spike may cut
the metal enough to insure d firm con-
nection.
The length of the section of pipe is
and both ends are passed through tie
plates and expanded. so as to hold the
plates solidly in the surface of tine con-
crete. This construction allows the tie
to be used with either face up. 1t is
necessary to use a spike with a head
SC formed that its under face VIII con-
form to the top of the rail base when
the spike is partially rotated, for at
each redriving the spike should be turn
ed so that its edges will cut an unused
.ortion of the pipe and furnish new
bond. When the surface of the concrete
crumbles under the tie plate or the end
of the tube becomes too badly worn TO
hold the spike, the tie may be turned
over in the track, thus providing new
surface and an unusued portion of pipe
tC. spike into.
The cost of the tie when made in
small nun bers is given by the inventor
as about 81 80. and it is stated on the
same authority that g. railway by us
ing company forces in the making OF
the ties could reduce this price by at |
least p cents.
Santa Fe, a slightly modified form OF
this tie has been installed on all the /
lines of the Los Angeles Railway COM
pany, but no reports OF It's perform
ance in this service are as yet avail
able.
The shortage of suil able timber for
ties and the constantly In
creased expense of the same has LED
many railroad companies TO make eX-
rerinents costing thousands of dollars
for the purpose of improving the tie
situation.
At this time the Santa F'e is ship
cling millions of ties from Japan, to
place under the rails in this western
Needless to say. this is cost
ing the company millions of dollars ev-
cry year.
The railroads over the country are
watching the reinforced concrete tie
experiments on the Santa Fe with IN
tense interest.