Handbook of Railroad Construction; For the use of American engineers. / Containing the necessary rules, tables, and formulæ for the location, construction, equipment, and management of railroads, as built in the United States.

by George L. Vose

CROSS TIES.

The cross ties shall be of white, black, or yellow oak, burr oak, chestnut, red elm, black walnut, or other sound timber of suitable character in the opinion of the engineer. Eight feet long, and not more than three inches out of straight, hewn to a smooth surface on two parallel plane faces six inches apart, the faces being not less than seven inches wide for at least half of the number, and the remainder not less than six inches wide. The ties shall be carefully and solidly laid on the subsills, or ballasting, or earth previously properly prepared, so as to give the true planes required by the rails, whether on straight or curved lines. They shall be laid at the rate of eight ties to each eighteen feet rail. All imperfect ties shall be excluded by the tracklaying party. The surface of the ties to be faithfully adjusted to the grades given, and to the web of the rail; and the rail to be truly laid and firmly spiked so as to correspond neatly to the alignment of the road. There will be about 2,500 ties required per mile of road.

CHAIRS AND JOINTS.

When chairs are used, they shall be such as directed by the engineer, and furnished by the company, and shall be well and accurately placed and spiked in such manner and position as required. When chairs are used, the largest ties shall be selected for the joints. When the joint is made by fishing, there will be no tie directly under the joint.

RAILS.

The rails will weigh about sixty pounds per lineal yard. No rail shall be laid on the tangents which is in any way twisted or bent. It shall be the duty of the first party to correct and make true any crooked rails received by him, also to bend to the proper curve, and in such a manner as not to affect the strength of the bar, all rails laid in curves. Punching of rails, and cutting, will also be done by the contractor.

TRACK LAYING.

The materials composing the track will be furnished by the company, and it will be laid in the best manner according to the conditions following. The track will be laid on cross-ties, and the ties at the proper places on subsills. Where the sills are used, they will be laid with four feet blocks at the joints, and with six feet blocks at the rail joints, the whole being set to their places by stakes, and by the engineer’s directions, and mauled down to a perfect bearing, being settled at least half an inch by mauling. The cross ties will be placed uniformly distant, (twenty-eight inches from centre to centre). The iron must be so cut or selected that the joints of the parallel rails shall be within two inches of being opposite to each other; no joint tie being allowed a greater amount of askew than this, whether on tangents or curves. A slip of metal shall be inserted at the rail joints while laying, to keep the rails apart sufficiently to allow for expansion, which thickness, (depending upon the temperature,) shall be fixed by the engineer. Notches to be cut at the centre of each bar, to correspond with half a spike, to prevent longitudinal motion of the rails. Each joint chair to be fastened with four spikes. Two spikes at each end of each tie upon straight lines and upon curves of less than 1,500 feet radius at the outer end of the tie two spikes outside and one inside, and at the inner end two spikes outside and one inside of the rail. Upon curves the outer rail to be raised by such an amount, depending on the radius of curvature, as the engineer may direct.

TURNOUTS.

The contractor to put in such turnouts and sidings, with the necessary frogs and switches, as may be required; the frogs and switches to be firmly and truly placed in position so as to work easily.