Numbnuts Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 (edited) 2 hours ago, The Phantom said: I know that normal railway rails are bolted to wooden sleepers and this will obviously provide some significant isolation against vibration etc. What do they usually do with 'road' rails like on metro trams etc? Are they on some sort rubber riser pads or something? Yes , I watched and noted the changes in working practices as they made progress . As I mentioned above there has been a few changes have happened along the way to try and elimate the issues flagged up. Edited July 6 by Numbnuts 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellanvannin2010 Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 (edited) 11 minutes ago, The Phantom said: I know that normal railway rails are bolted to wooden sleepers and this will obviously provide some significant isolation against vibration etc. What do they usually do with 'road' rails like on metro trams etc? Are they on some sort rubber riser pads or something? Pads and surrounded in some sort of flexible resin type material Edited July 6 by ellanvannin2010 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbnuts Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 Just now, ellanvannin2010 said: Pads and surrounded in some sort of flexible resin type material They didnt use resin on the prom though. I know you weren't saying they did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Mexico Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 11 minutes ago, The Phantom said: I know that normal railway rails are bolted to wooden sleepers and this will obviously provide some significant isolation against vibration etc. What do they usually do with 'road' rails like on metro trams etc? Are they on some sort rubber riser pads or something? Well according to this manual from 2008: All of the second generation tramways built thus far in the UK and Ireland are characterised by having track forms in which: • the rails are encapsulated in an elastic polymer material, which serves as both an electrical insulator (against stray current) and a vibration isolator/damper (against noise and vibration) A lot more interesting things in that section, all of which appear to have been ignored at various times. Of course they were specifically not supposed to be building a new light rail system, but reinstating a heritage one, but appear to have ended up with something that works for neither. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offshoremanxman Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 4 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said: Of course they were specifically not supposed to be building a new light rail system, but reinstating a heritage one, but appear to have ended up with something that works for neither. That’s the really impressive bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Onchan Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 29 minutes ago, Two-lane said: There is the slight EVERY possibility that each winter the rain and salt water will cause the surface of the rails to become corroded. Each year they will need to be planed down to give a nice smooth surface. Anyone here going to make an estimate of the working life of the rails? Corrected. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellanvannin2010 Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 (edited) 39 minutes ago, Two-lane said: There is the slight possibility that each winter the rain and salt water will cause the surface of the rails to become corroded. Each year they will need to be planed down to give a nice smooth surface. Anyone here going to make an estimate of the working life of the rails? You might be right but I hope this is just a one off to remove corrosion pitting on the rail head due to the rails having been in storage for many years. You may remember a stretch of track on the MER between Majestic and Boncomptes(or whatever it is now) which was laid with secondhand short 15ft rails from I think some ex MOD depot. The rails had a rolling date of 1918 and I don't think had been used since then. The pitting on the rail head was awful and took several years to wear away. The racket as you drove along them was loud even on wooden sleepers. Edited July 6 by ellanvannin2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0bserver Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 21 minutes ago, The Phantom said: I know that normal railway rails are bolted to wooden sleepers and this will obviously provide some significant isolation against vibration etc. What do they usually do with 'road' rails like on metro trams etc? Are they on some sort rubber riser pads or something? These are the general UK standards... they don't seem to have followed any of them really. 18 minutes ago, Numbnuts said: No they haven't. The first bit they had but from before the Queens pub they lifted the rails and fitted pads between concrete and rails. Further on they lifted the rails , or lowered the concrete level actually , all to try and reduce noise and vibration levels. That's good to know, but without the rails having a rubber compound either side of them it will make little difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 6 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said: Well according to this manual from 2008: All of the second generation tramways built thus far in the UK and Ireland are characterised by having track forms in which: • the rails are encapsulated in an elastic polymer material, which serves as both an electrical insulator (against stray current) and a vibration isolator/damper (against noise and vibration) A lot more interesting things in that section, all of which appear to have been ignored at various times. Of course they were specifically not supposed to be building a new light rail system, but reinstating a heritage one, but appear to have ended up with something that works for neither. Handy document thanks. With this manual, I'd be confident of completing the task myself. Can't be that dissimilar from watching a Youtube tutorial on bleeding boilers/radiators, fitting taps, tiling etc. 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0bserver Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 They were going to do the rubber/polymer type encapsulation until a former senior civil servant reportedly decided they knew better than the laws if physics and it was descoped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoymouse Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 13 hours ago, Numbnuts said: There planing the top of the rails to help stop the noise . They did it to some of the finished tracks last year and again by guys from across. At least that was what Longworth had to say on the matter. But unless the rails are used continuously they will go rusty and pitted again, so what is the point? The clippity clop of horses hooves on tarmac are louder than the ring that sounds off the rails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omobono Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 I think the big problem they will be facing is the huge gap on the internal part in the rail , this will allow the existing much thinner original tram wheels to move considerably , and we may find different wheels have to be fitted which defeats the principal of running a historic Victorian railway , I cant believe there bringing a UK firm to reface and clean the rails , and at significant cost which they will never recover , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0bserver Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 7 hours ago, Annoymouse said: But unless the rails are used continuously they will go rusty and pitted again, so what is the point? The clippity clop of horses hooves on tarmac are louder than the ring that sounds off the rails. 365 day a year horse trams it is then! 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoymouse Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 7 minutes ago, Omobono said: I cant believe there bringing a UK firm to reface and clean the rails , and at significant cost which they will never recover , You’d think sandblasting or similar to remove the rust would be enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 Gold is pretty un-reactive. I think the solution is clearly to make some golden rail covers for the winter. Where do I submit my eye-watering consultancy invoice again? 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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