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Bullhead or Flat Bottomed Rail


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  • RMweb Gold

Yes but when FB first came in a lot of plain track was changed but the pointwork left. Its probably a matter of period either is possible.

Don

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Go with what you're comfortable with, and of course when those non-modelling know alls come up to you at a shows and tell you it's all wrong, you can say "well actually...." tee hee ;)

The real railway world is full of oddities, one of the things that makes it so much fun.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Ipswich freightliner depot (near to platform 4) has a set of points that have FB switch & stocks grafted on to BH crossing nose and turnout! Was going to get round to modelling this at some stage.

 

 

Mike

 

 

Go with what you're comfortable with, and of course when those non-modelling know alls come up to you at a shows and tell you it's all wrong, you can say "well actually...." tee hee ;)

The real railway world is full of oddities, one of the things that makes it so much fun.

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Oddities do still exist or have only been removed comparatively recently

 

Whilst TSM at Clapham Junction (2003-2006) - there was still a short length (200 yard) of Bull-head rail in the Down Main Fast at Vauxhall carrying some 24m tonnes of traffic per year..........thankfully replaced around 2004.

 

Some of the platforms at Waterloo have only recently been relaided in FB track and some still are BH track. Where these ran/run into FB S&C, ISTR that there was a length or two of plain FB track before the S&C.

 

Before the Windsor ladder renewal (2010) & the recent Latchmere re-doubling at Clapham Jn (Ludgate Jn), where the Latchmere lines diverge around to Kensington O from Clapham Jn, the track was FB right up to the junction S&C switch fronts where it was welded directly to the FB rail of the switches using a composite FB/BH weld.

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Scunthorpe, as far as I'm aware, still produce the occasional batch of BH rail - I assume it's 95lb stuff. There are examples of BH on the network all over the place, but S&C seems to be very rare now in anything other than yards.

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  • RMweb Gold

Fwiw, When they took out the goods yard (a single siding) at Fochriw on the now closed B&M section between Bargoed and Dowlais Top, the bullhead rail switched to flatbottom for the length of the removed turnout and then switched back to bullhead.Yet at Torpantau, further up the line, the sidings turnout was replaced with plain bullhead track.

 

Regards

 

Richard

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Scunthorpe, as far as I'm aware, still produce the occasional batch of BH rail - I assume it's 95lb stuff. There are examples of BH on the network all over the place, but S&C seems to be very rare now in anything other than yards.

 

We ordered a stack of 95lB BH for a project recently, stuff was so new it was actually silver (as opposed to the normal rusty orange/red that you see rails normally coloured) complete with TATA branding.

 

If you want to go a step more exotic Oulton Broad still sports some 98lB Flatbottom in places, looks VERY odd!

 

 

Mike

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  • 1 month later...

If you want to go a step more exotic Oulton Broad still sports some 98lB Flatbottom in places, looks VERY odd!

 

 

Mike

As does the Hampton Court Branch and trying to match it for defect replacement is a right pain,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

 

I have seen a defective rail in 98lb FB rail on F27's replaced with 113A and the track lifted and packed to level things up. Leaves a lovely trap for anyone doing some re-railing.

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That looks appalling!

 

Is it stressed?

 

What looks appalling ??.

 

Who's photo ?.... Essexexpress's , or mine ?.

 

The quality / standard of the photos ?.

 

The quality / standard of the joint/s ?....;.......I'm afraid I don't have the examiner's report to hand.

 

At a guess,, I would say that, as in the past, and presently, the Brockenhurst station's up loop / platform is used only for lay-overs / return workings, and, as such, would not be subject to any stresses imposed by high speed running.

The only stress to be accounted for, would be that imposed by the low speed / at a stand / occupying train, which, normally, would be an EMU.

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I meant having an FB/BH weld! Just looks wrong. Having done both mainline and industrail p-way, not even Scunthorpe Steelworks had anything like that! Why weld it?

 

By stressed I meant has it been stressed, rather than the loading it may experience.

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  • RMweb Gold

At a guess,, I would say that, as in the past, and presently, the Brockenhurst station's up loop / platform is used only for lay-overs / return workings, and, as such, would not be subject to any stresses imposed by high speed running.

The only stress to be accounted for, would be that imposed by the low speed / at a stand / occupying train, which, normally, would be an EMU.

 

 

I meant having an FB/BH weld! Just looks wrong. Having done both mainline and industrail p-way, not even Scunthorpe Steelworks had anything like that! Why weld it?

 

By stressed I meant has it been stressed, rather than the loading it may experience.

 

The Sectional Appendix gives a line speed on that part of the loop as 40mph so presumably the weld will have been assessed good enough to maintain that limit.

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presumably the weld will have been assessed good enough to maintain that limit.

 

I'm not questioning that not something I'd do or would have planned - it'll work but not very pretty.

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I meant having an FB/BH weld! Just looks wrong. Having done both mainline and industrail p-way, not even Scunthorpe Steelworks had anything like that! Why weld it?

 

By stressed I meant has it been stressed, rather than the loading it may experience.

 

 

Strange I would put in a composite weld every time rather than junction or worse still step junction fishplates.

It gives a stronger joint and avoids some poor trackman having to find a set of junction plates with the right step at 3am on a rainy Feburary morning, when the plates break.

 

As for it being stressed I would expect not, as standards require an adjustment switch at a FB/BH change of section. So it is either LWR or it is in the breathing length of an adustment switch that should be just out of shot. Looks a nice neat job to me with the two Pan11 sleepers on the end of the F27's ? giving similar sleepers both sides of the weld.

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