THE CASE FOR HEAVIER RAILS

Railways which today are in course of making a change in their motive power from steam to electric or diesel-electric locomotives are faced with the problem of the most economic type of track to adopt for the future and particularily the weight of rail. The Association of American Railroads Central Research Laboratory considered that the gross tonnage of traffic carried over any given route determined rail life for more than the type of motive power used. The Engineer of Standards and Research on the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad thought that diesel operation results in considerably less stressing of the rail than operation with steam. The Long Island Rail Road contended that part of the maintenance economies credited to the heavier rail ought by rights to be attributed to other track improvements often made at the same time including heavier soleplates, longer fishplates, increased rail anchors and new better ballast. The general concensus would appear to be that diesel units impose less strain on the track than steam locomotives of comparable power.

• Corporate Authors:

  Temple Press Limited

  161-166 Fleet Street
  Longon EC4,   England 
• Publication Date: 1953-5-22

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 585
• Serial:
  • RAILWAY GAZETTE
  • Volume: 98

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Diesel locomotives; Economics; Electric locomotives; Locomotives; Rail (Railroads); Stresses; Technology; Train operations
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Old TRIS Terms: Rail stress; Train load
• Subject Areas: Economics; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00039930
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 8 1994 12:00AM