The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1917-08-03
MAKING over RAILS
Now Systematically Strengthened
and Restored.
Defects Which Neeessitate Removal
and Replacement Develop In Eight
to Fourteen Years-00 Per
Cent Renewed.

rails are now SIr0lSnI-
ened, the worn ends sawed off, and the
whole rail restored to service condi-
ton. A plant in Illinois where this is
done is described In the Railway Main
tenance Engineer by John Reiner. All
rails In mainline service, Mr.. Reiner
thinks, will ordinarily develop defects
which necessitate removal and replace
ment in eight to fourteen years. These
defects IRE battered ends and worn
fishings and, in curved track, flange-
worn heads on the outside rails and
crushed heads on the inside rails. Fully
80 per cent Of these removed rails may
be fitted for further service by appro-
pirate treatment, Mr.. Reiner assures
us. He says in substance:
Methods o. Reclamation.
"There are two methods of reclaim
ing rails quite generally recognized as
being eficient-one is to heat and re-
roll them, reducing the section and the
oretically producing a new rail Of the
original length but Of lighter section.
The other is to assemble the rails at Il
centrally located point for inspection,
classification, strengthening, cropping
worn ends, and reboring for splice-bars.
: 'From the writer's observation the
process Of rerolling rails after a serv-
ice period Is successful In that 1t pro-
longs their ultimate life Over that of
simply cropping battered and worn
ends. The process, Of course, Is much
nor costly than simply cropping the
ends at q home plant, and unless the
rerolling plant is in fairly close prox-
Unity to the road owning the rails, the
cost is prohibitive.
1.-THE desired effect Of any method is
to get the largest possible return from
the rails recovered, either In money OF
in service, which latter ultimately
means money, but the value of which
in money cannot, for want Of data, be
SO defined in all cases.
AT the plant under the writer's jur.
isdiction the cost per ton for reclaim
ing rails during 1915 was 40 cents. In
the operations Of this plant there were
reclaimed from scrap condition 2,44s
tons Of rails, 1880 tons Of which wen,
for ordinary track service and 1856 tons
for the manufacture Of frogs.
fascinating the salvage value Of
serviceable rails recovered from SCRAP
Mt 80 per ton, the operation of this
plant shows q clear demonstrable gair
Of $22,OO5.
Working on Rails.
"Rails passing through the reclaim
Ing plant for resawing r pulled
broadside on to the Strengthening ma
chine "a homemade hydraulic press)
by q rope and a belt-drive drum hand
ling from eight to twenty rails at one
time. After Strengthening, the rails
are pulled broadside on to the saw
table OF carriage by means of a hori
Eontal afr-hoist manipulated by the
straightener.
after removing the rail from the
saw-table, the clippers remove the fms
or burrs raised by the saws and pass II
broadsfde on to the drills, four Of
which are In service 1.-TWO at each end)
manned by four men and placed in q
staggered position 80 that four rail.
ends r drilled at mi time.
Before the rails pass out Of the mill
to the sawed stock piles q man applies
a template to the head Of each raj
marked by the sawyers as q main
truck or second quality rail to classify
then according to depth or thickness
The rollers leading out Of the mill are
manned by four men who distribute
she tails and pile them In stock piles
or bad them on cars direct, a. de
sired.
"Serting the rails for condition and
uniform thickness Of head II Of much
value IN obtaining good track results
and economy In maintenance cost. The
rails classed 10 sawed main-trnck rails
r calipered for thickness OF head and
make as good track joints 40 new rails
II ne~'or unworn joint fastenings are
applied. The rails classed az second
quality rails are as safe as main-trach
rails. They are more or less worn, but
will gfve good service In branch-line
main track. The ends will match up to
ca even surface rs the heads are cali.
pered the scf4e as the heads Of the
main-trnck rails"