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dualgauge Wrote:If the Indiana RR had the traffic they might use concrete ties. I don't know the cost difference of the ties. I do not work for them so don't. So don't know the reason for wood ties. Somebody might be able to tell us.
Dan
If you have wood ties and go to concrete you have to replace every one. then what you have is a mile of 90 MPH track and the rest is still 10. It takes special equipment to work with concrete ties too. I really think if they were the be all-end all all of the major class ones woulds use them.
Charlie
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Charlie B Wrote:dualgauge Wrote:If the Indiana RR had the traffic they might use concrete ties. I don't know the cost difference of the ties. I do not work for them so don't. So don't know the reason for wood ties. Somebody might be able to tell us.
Dan
If you have wood ties and go to concrete you have to replace every one. then what you have is a mile of 90 MPH track and the rest is still 10. It takes special equipment to work with concrete ties too. I reallyu think f they were the be all-end all all of the major class ones woulds use them.
Charlie
Not true. Coal traffic is heavy, low speed traffic and the BNSF line from Wyoming through Palmer Park, the USAF Academy, Colorado Springs and on to points south went to concrete a long time ago. There has NEVER been a high speed train on the north-south line through Colorado.
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to be a little clearer I will repeat. If you have to spend the money to lay concrete ties you would want them to be all in a row. concrete ties weigh 610 pounds each and require a lot more work to install so if you lay 3000 concrete ties you have now got 1 mile of track that is built to class 6 standards capable of 90 MPH whether you go that fast or not. with the same amount of wood ties you can rebuild 3 miles of track by replacing every third tie and achieve a legal track speed of 45 MPH, and concrete ties costing 3 times what a wood tie costs you can rebuild 9 miles for the same cost as that 1 mile of concrete ties. This is better for a regional that is trying to increase business and productivity.
Charlie
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Great information, Charlie.
Wayne
