Or women....Railroad Track gangs...(slow Sunday at home)...figured this would be a good topic... My contribution...taken at Walong (Tehapchapi) approximately 24yrs ago...of a Santa Fe treading lightly eastbound, while a track gang is working on the siding.
Track work on te Coal Creek area, just east of Tunnel 1, on the old D&RGW: Hi-railer in between Tunnel 5 and 6, note the rail, and tie plates along the ROW:
March 1993 at Cayce, SC. I saw those numbered signs at each switchstand and thought they were the perfect solution for my N Scale yard. I made mine a bit bigger for my aging eyes and they looked very prototypical.
Frisco 4-8-2 Mountain 1522 in Fairland during a water stop May 19, 2001. My daughter and I followed the locomotive from the Missouri Oklahoma state line to Claremore. Joe
It was a temporary passing siding made up of steel ties. Note that they dragged the main line over to make room for it, cut out a section and hauled it off to the side further to make room for the turnout. When they were finished using the siding, they pulled the turnout, removed the siding, slid the short piece back to be welded in and put everything back to normal straight track. This was all when KCS was rebuilding the old SP Macaroni line from Rosenberg to Victoria.
Are steel ties used with temporary panel track because they're lighter than concrete or wood? I assume steel ties don't last the 20-25 years of wood or concrete which is why we don't see them in permanent use.
They are relatively light weight, without the clips attached they can be stacked like spoons to take up less space in transporting from one location to another. I have seen them used on shoe flies around derailments as well. Pop them under two sections of ribbon rail and you have a long piece of track that can be moved around as needed.