New-York tribune., 1912-03-10
Menace of Faulty Rails Puts
Countless Lives Daily in Danger

, rov-o- ,rees the manufacturer 10 work the
metal hot" The strongest steel IS the steel
with the closest and smallest crystals III
forging, steel is generally hammered unth
its temperature IS below that at when
large CRYSTALS form, the hammer blows
, breaking down the crystalline formation
into smaller units during the time when
! the heat OF tho metal makes capitalization
| possible When rail is rushed through
the last rolling stage or pass and comes
| out at a temperature high enough for these
CRYSTALS to form. then that rail is weaker
than one that is rolled down to the de-
| sired temperature. This subsequent re-
crystallzing will tend TO develop or mag
Nifty any existing weaknesses due to pipe
and other imperfections Of the ingot.
OF course 1t must not he supposed that
railroads accept rails without testing them.
But the dropping OF a heavy weight upon
a rail is not counterpart Of the initial
shock and the succeeding blows of 100
ton locomotive. with its heavy cars follow
ing rushing on to and over the rails at
speed anywhere from fifty TO eighty miles
an hour, nor Is It a duplicate of these re-
current shocks day after day and under all
| the ranges OF temperature from summer
heat 10 midwinter frost-conditions tnat
bear directly upon the life Of the rail. one
must not forget that the roadbed Is yield
ing and the track is 1exed in a measure
more or less as one bends wire back and
forth TO break it, single bending will
not break the wire, but repetition will; and
in the case Of a rail this will happen at a
point where a weakness is hidden.
The measure of the forces attacking the
| rail can be grasped to a degree If one VIII
| take the trouble TO examine quarter of a
mile of any roadway. One Will find that
the hard, cold metal has actually been
made TO flow under the pressure OF the
passing wheels. and the railhead has DC
I come gradually deformed on that half Of
the bearing surface OF the track, while the
other half of this surface Will be just as
Il was when turned out OF the mlll-pro-
vided the rail has not already done service
on that side The duty of the track walker
is to detect visible developing weaknesses,
but the danger lies In the fact that the
germ OF potential disaster is, more often
than otherwise. hidden.
Each year our trains grow heaver-even
our freight trains have increased from 800
| 10 1000 tons-and TO a lesser degree
speeder: and each year the rail maker
/ should hear these conditions in mind. 1t Is
| nossible to produce sound rails of the
| present form and the prescribed compost
| ton. but this means some sacrifice In ton
mage output a day, and II involves also a
] far more liberal discarding of questionable
| n aterial from that end of the ingot or the
bloom which contains the pipe and other
blemishes. whether this will properly In
| crease the cost of the rails to the railroads
| is not the question which concerns the
| nublic at present; but we travellers are
/ Immediately and vitally interested in the
| soundness of the track upon which we ride
| many OF us twice day and six days
week More deliberation and greater care
IN the making of ingots and ~ the handling
of the steel afterward In the rolling mills
will go a long way toward minimizing de-
! fects as well as toward reducing the
| amount of discard needful TO insure sound
metal Time lost TO speak, in slower
fabrication means time saved In the safer
running of tho speedy specials not TO
mention the greater protection TO life.
The engineer has given generously OF his
6eepest study in order that the locomotive
may be equal TO It's present wonderful task
the car builder has spared no pains that
| his coaches may make our travel hours
! periods of comfort and delight Again. the