Industrial Track Types and Styles

[Down_Under]

Just about to start building a little bit of test track to a) test my building skills and B) check the running of the little bit of stock that I have started to convert/build. Eventually I will build a quarry layout, based loosely on, and around the ironstone quarries of the UK - incorporating some form of BR exchange siding and some internal user sidings/crusher (inspiration so far is the High Dyke branch, the Buckminster system and Oxfordshire Ironstone Quarries), circa 1970. But for now, this is my first venture into P4 scale track building, so some test track first me thinks. The test track will basically fit on a 3ft long shelf and consist of a single point and 2 sidings.

 

This lead me to ask a couple of questions - what type of track was generally used (weights and type of rail)? Research so far is based on the Eric Tonks books, and some of the blogs on the High Dyke Branch (lner.info). Research so far seems to suggest a little bit of everything, but it can be broken down into rough groups:

 

1) BR Metals - Chaired track - 75lb Bullhead rail. 3 Bolt chairs. Wooden sleepers.

 

2) Internal User "Main Line" - Generally chair track. Assuming 75lb bullhead rail, although some does look a little lighter. Wooden and concrete sleepers (couple of photos of the Buckminster Branch so these). 3 bolt chairs? Generally second hand track  - so could realistically be a mixture of everything. Some systems e.g. Oxford or Corby, and some exchange sidings (Easton Mines) seem to be to a higher standard than others)

 

3) Internal User "temporary track" or Branch Lines - flat bottom rail. Weight? "Spiked" to the sleepers, no chair as such. Did they use tie plates? Mostly confined to the quarries, but also I have seen pictures of this in use up to crushers. Points still use chairs. I can't seem to find any very high quality photos of the track used, other than it looks like a 2 spikes where used (one either side)?

 

A further scouring through Eric Tonks books liberates a little more info:

 

Woolsthrope Quarry: Around 1947/48 - Photo graph shows bullhead rail concrete sleepers at the exchange sidings and running off into the internal user system. "Flat bottom rail on concrete or wood sleepers the preferred method" - Tonks, Ironstone Quarries of the East Midlands - Part 9. Also he makes a references to the branch lines to the quarries "flat bottom rail spiked to wooden sleepers was gradually changed to chair concrete sleepers", circa 1969/70

 

Buckminster; (c. 1964 - 73); Mainline chaired bullhead rail on wooden sleepers - these were gradually swapped out for concrete. Branchlines to quarries flat bottom rail, spiked to wooden sleepers. (Eric Tonks - Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands - Part 8).

 

 

 

Supplies and "Code" of rail

• BR metals and Internal user Main lines

C&L Code 75 Bullhead rail. Does anyone make a code 60 or lighter bullhead rail?

• Internal User "Temp track"

Code 55 Flat Bottom Rail? combined with spikes like these? http://www.proto87.com/product1908.html(I know they might be a little underscale - but potentially the heavy duty (code 70/82) rail spikes might be nearer scale).

 

Is perhaps Code 55 Flat bottom a little light? Should a slightly heavier rail be used? Didn't realise that they used concrete sleepers so early (c.1947)

 

Thanks all for you help,

 

James

 

Edit: 3mm society make Code 60 Bullhead rail, and appropriate chairs - would these work in 4mm scale? Laid on 4mm scale sleepers? I would imagine that the lighter bullhead rail would use smaller chairs?

[rope runner]

"Corby" style sleepers are forthcoming from AMBIS engineering - if you enquire how far along they are, please let me know!

 

Paul A. 

[Down_Under]

A little update, these spikes arrived from Proto87 this morning. Waiting on my order of code 55 FB rail and Code 75 BH rail from C&L now.

 

 

Turns out Proto87 also make some 4mm parts. Wooden sleepers and turnouts. http://www.proto87.com/4mm-00-turnouts-track.htmlwhich is handy as I hadn't figured out how I was going to insert the spikes into plastic C&L sleepers. Next steep to see if I can get some posted to Australia. Australian customs and wooden items are not the best of friends....

 

Forgive me if I am talking about what people already know (I'm kinda new to this) - but a little more research shows that industrial track, especially the ironstone systems was complete hodgepodge of types and styles.

 

At first I thought that the code 55 FB rail was going to be too light - but this equates to (I think) 75lb rail (in HO). A little research into one of the heavier locos I am likely to build and operate - Austerity Saddle tanks and the earlier Class 50 and the minimum weight rail they are rated for is 75lb. So that's Ok. My only concern is it might look a little under scale in 4mm?

 

 

 

Some photos I have the rail looks to be a little heavier - possibly 100lb FB, which I think is code 70 or 75?

 

Spiked FB rail turnouts are quite common it seems on certain systems, but still mostly chaired BH rail on either concrete or wooden sleepers.

 

In the new year I should get a little time to build some test track to try out a few of these types and methods of construction. I'm not sold on the wooden sleepers, but will give them ago.

 

I haven't contacted Ambis Yet, will do soon.

 

J