Half Lap Sleeper Timbering Joint on crossover 1964 Weymouth

[Rail-Online]

Hi,

 

Found this whilst cleaning up a negative.  Never noticed anything like this before, but to reduce the number of very long timbers at this crossover at Weymouth in 1964 there are at least two half lap jointed sleepers.  How common was this?

 

Cheers Tony

[Trog]

Having some timbers butt jointed usually in one of the four foot spaces was quite common, often they would be connected with a couple of bullhead fishplates chair screwed down through the bolt holes.

 

Although one PWSM did start swearing a bit when I rang him up about a crossover he had had retimbered by a contract gang. To I ask if he thought that having every single timber butt jointed down the middle of the crossover road four foot leaving nothing to hold the gauge was wise.

Edited May 14, 2020 by Trog