The herald., 1917-08-16
MAKING over RAILS.
Now Systematically Strengthened
and Restored.
PLANT where WORK IS DONE
Defects Which Necessitate Removal
and Replacement Develop in Eight
70 Fourteen Years-9o Per
Cent Renewed.

II is not generally known that worn {
rails are now Systematically straight /
.urd. the worn ends sawed oil, ana the
whole rail restored TO service colul- !
ton. \ plant in Illinois where TINS Is I
done is described in the Railway Min {
truance Engineer by John R"iner. All
r,iis in mainline service Mr.. Relner
thinks will ordinarily develop defects
which npcpSSitate removal ana replace
ment in eight to fourteen years. these
defectS are battered ends ana worn
fshings and, IN curved track, nahSe-
worn heads on the outside rails ana
crushed heads on the inside rails. tully
! 90 Der cent Of these removed rails ma! /
no fitted for further service by appro-
rriatp treatment. Mr.. Reiner assures
us. He says in substance:
Methods OF Reclamation.
"There arp two methods of reclain-
ing rails quite generally recognlzeu aS
being efficient-One is to heat ana re-
roll them. reducing the section and the
oretically producing new rail- OF the
original length but of lighter section.
The other is to assemble the rails at
centrally located point for Inspection
classification, Strengthening, cropping
worn ends, and rebOring for splice-Oars.
"From the writer's observation the
nrocess of rerOllng rails after Serv-
ice period is successful in that II pro-
longs their ultimate life over that OF
simply cropping battered and worn
ends. The process, of course, Is much
more costly than simply cropping the
ends ut home plant. and unless me
rerOlling plant is in fairly close proA-
Unity to the road owning the rails the
cost is prOhihitive.
"Tbe desired effect of any method is
70 get the largest possible return from
the rails recovered, either in money or
! IN service. which latter ultimately
I means money. but the value OF Whlch
4 in money cannot. for want OF data De
4 so defined in all cases.
& AT the plant under the writer's lur'
isdiction the cost per ton for reclaim
/ ing rails during 1915 was - cents. II
The onrratiOns of this plant there Were
: reclaimed from scrap condition 2.4f'
tons Of rails 2OS0 tons of which wen
for ordinary track service and 800 ton'
= for the manufacture of frogs.
fascinating the salvage value o
sorviceable rails recovered from Scral
NJ 50 Der ton. the operation at TIN
plant shows Il clear dcmonStrable GaH
Of S22OO5.
\ Working on Rails.
"RaiIS passing through the reclaim
& ing plant for reSaWinG are pun"
p broadsde on to the strengthening m;
n chine On homemade hydraulic press
D nv rome and bclt-drive drum hant
b ling from eight to twenty rails at on
81 time. After Strengthening, the rail
81 are pulled broadside on to the sa'
Is fable or carriage by means of nor
81 zontal air-hoist manipulated Is tn
50 Straightener.
s. "After removing the rail from tf
81 saw-table the clippers remove the III
a or burrs raised by the saws and pass
"a hroadSide on TO the drills, four
which are in service (twO at each end
- manned by four men and placed IN
"a staggered position so that four IA
ends are drilled ut one time.
"Rpfore the rails pass out of the m
to the sawed stock piles man appli
template 10 the head of each r;
marked by the sawyers as n ma
track or second quality rail to claSSi
- them according 10 depth or thickne:
The rollers leading out of the mill a
manned by four men who diStribc
,ort the rails and pile them in stock PHI
o., or load them on cars direct, as
on5 sired.
- "Sorting the rails for condition
uniform thickness ef head Is of mu
value in obtaining good track resu
and economy in maintenance cost. 1
rails cIassed as sawed main-track RI
ing are cnlipered for thickness Of head
uits make as good track joints as new ri
All If new or unworn joint fastenings
mel ,nnlied. The rails classed as secc
bu' quality rails are as safe as main-tr;
hess rails. They are more or less worn
our will give good service in branch-l
g " main track. The ends will match VI
re- IN even surface as the heads are
ttna pered the same as the heads or
|" main-traCk rails
Private Control Of Roads.