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2 hours ago, adb968008 said:

Had an interesting conversation with some guy in a garden centre once, who was upselling the benefits of used Railway sleepers in the garden to a small crowd.

I then said, “arent train toilets directly flushed onto the track and hence the sleepers?”...

 

killed the conversation and the small interested crowd moved on, leaving the seller a little grumpy.

I'd be more worried about some of the substances used to preserve the sleepers.

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Whilst awaiting a platform space at Preston on Saturday, I noticed that the low sun had lit up the adjacent rails such that the manufacturers details could be seen. It was a little surprising to see the year 1965 but would that relate to the date the rail was produced or is it the year the company came into being? If produced in 1965 then it seems strange to think that it would be well acquainted with Black 5s and 8Fs! (incidentally it was on the up slow line).

 

Edited by SP Steve
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4 minutes ago, SP Steve said:

Whilst awaiting a platform space at Preston on Saturday, I noticed that the low sun had lit up the adjacent rails such that the manufacturers details could be seen. It was a little surprising to see the year 1965 but would that relate to the date the rail was produced or is it the year the company came into being? If produced in 1965 then it seems strange to think that it would be well acquainted with Black 5s and 8Fs! (incidentally it was on the up slow line).

Old Rail At Preston.jpg

That'll be the rolling date ..... it's survived well - but the fast line rails will be somewhat newer.

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On 30/11/2019 at 10:03, Owd Bob said:

I often wonder just how old some of these sleepers must be seeing as they were probably quite old and used by the time they got cut, shaped and erected as fencing. Don't see many like this anymore especially left in and around the Wigan area like this short surviving stretch at Crow Nest Bridge, Hindley. I hope his bit survives because there's been some recent shrub and tree seedling clearing on the bridge which is now exposing the fence more. 

 

2019-11-29_15_47.56fence_cn_mhj.jpg

Depends on one's definition of 'quite old' of course !  They're all three-screw type so the track would have dated from the thirties at the earliest ( open to correction ) - the sleepers, themselves might have been replaced a number of times over following decades.

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Better get them dendrochronology tested for a deffo' date...:D i agree that quite old for uneducated me is probably the 1930's as well, i don't think they'll last much longer now they are exposed as the local boy racers and drug scum gather on that bridge most evenings and will probably use them as a toilet again.:lol: 

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8 hours ago, SP Steve said:

Whilst awaiting a platform space at Preston on Saturday, I noticed that the low sun had lit up the adjacent rails such that the manufacturers details could be seen. It was a little surprising to see the year 1965 but would that relate to the date the rail was produced or is it the year the company came into being? If produced in 1965 then it seems strange to think that it would be well acquainted with Black 5s and 8Fs! (incidentally it was on the up slow line).

Old Rail At Preston.jpg

 

There are / were until recently long sections of the SWML between Woking & Basingstoke that had Cargofleet 1966 rails in situ (albeit with an escalating defect incidence) and there are sections of the line west of Salisbury and the Yeovil Weymouth section that have rail dating from the 20's . The oldest I can actually observing from my PW days were the 1931 rails still in daily use (2007) at Hampton Court station and there is no reason why they wouldn't still be there.

Edited by Southernman46
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39 minutes ago, melmerby said:

Last time I looked some of the rails in Birmingham New St were Bullhead on wooden sleepers

The whole layout was renewed in bullhead during the electrification works 1964-7. The pointwork at each end has been replaced but some of the other BH track is probably still there.

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Finally got a decent shot of this having been held at an adjacent signal while diverted via Beighton and Woodhouse into Sheffield this morning.

As far as I know, it's the last remaining mast from the Woodhead electrification east of the Pennines situated at the western end of what was Woodhouse yard. Seems odd this one was left in place.

 

Edit:  further along there's the remains of, I think, a steam water crane, normally buried in the trees or I only pass in the dark. Was going faster by then, by the time I saw it and got a shot on my phone I realised I'd got my finger over the lens, d'oh! Was hanging on to my phone, we were doing about 60!

 

IMG_20191204_084059171.jpg.caf61f569df2c3785a105297455c0a4a.jpg

Edited by great central
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Not quite ghosts in the machine, but the new-ish lift signs at Hebden Bridge echo the other old-style signs. Pictured here earlier in 2019:

1537936546_HebdenBridge.jpg.bc9ba0bfcf31ac0b67d616594120784d.jpg

 

Not sure the typeface is a perfect match, and maybe the pointing hand isn't quite as elegant, but 10/10 for effort.

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On ‎02‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 18:12, Southernman46 said:

 

The oldest I can actually observing from my PW days were the 1931 rails still in daily use (2007) at Hampton Court station and there is no reason why they wouldn't still be there.

 

Almost new.

 

How about a rail so old that the rolling date is in Roman numerals.

 

LNWR Con Rail.JPG

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17 hours ago, Trog said:

 

Almost new.

 

How about a rail so old that the rolling date is in Roman numerals.

 

LNWR Con Rail.JPG

 

Nice - Original 1916 vintage - 100lb/yard conductor rail somewhere on the SW Suburban - Windsor side - East Putney - Wimbledon ??????

Edited by Southernman46
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2 hours ago, Southernman46 said:

 

Nice - Original 1916 vintage - 100lb/yard conductor rail somewhere on the SW Suburban - Windsor side - East Putney - Wimbledon ??????

 

June 1914 vintage 105lb per yard conductor rail on the North Western Suburban system Carpenders Park CWJ.

Edited by Trog
ELR wrong
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On ‎02‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 18:12, Southernman46 said:

 

There are / were until recently long sections of the SWML between Woking & Basingstoke that had Cargofleet 1966 rails in situ (albeit with an escalating defect incidence) and there are sections of the line west of Salisbury and the Yeovil Weymouth section that have rail dating from the 20's . The oldest I can actually observing from my PW days were the 1931 rails still in daily use (2007) at Hampton Court station and there is no reason why they wouldn't still be there.

 

When I last looked three or so years ago there were still some 1952 109lb rails in the WCML south of Rugby. I also know of another mainline with a section of 1923 vintage 45'-0" bullhead rails. It is amazing what is out there if you know where to look.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I can remember when I started working on the Underground, I was on a District train heading east past Triangle Sidings, (between Earls Court and Glo Rd) and we were held at a red signal. I looked out of the window on the right, and saw a worn conductor rail. I can only describe the head as wafer thin, not thin enough to distort though. And it was in use as a train passed over it whilst we stood there. It was replaced within a few weeks though.

 

Stewart

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