Nov. Picture Worth A Thousand Words

This photo is a mixture of "what do you do while waiting for that train that never comes" and "look at all that ancient track". The piece of track in question is on the old Belfast and Moosehead Lake RR wye/interchange at Burnham Jct., Maine. We were waiting for a train last July and took the time to look over some of the track.

For those used to looking at a well maintained mainline somewhere, this is like a time capsule of all the "old ways" railroads used to maintain regular track and the ways they patched up old track. Upon closer inspection the rails say things like "Open Hearth 85A" and "L S Co Buffalo 850", probably for the Lackawanna Steel plant in Buffalo, NY. It probably also means the rail is 85 lbs. to the yard, light rail by today's standards. In the crossing, just out of sight, were some places that were "enhanced" a bit by welding rods to add some metal at key points, probably because it would be a bear to change out a lightly used rail just because a bit of metal was worn down on the ends.

The ties are a mix of eras dating back to the 1940's if you can believe the date nails - yes date nails - which were still firmly in place. It is hard to believe that a tie from 1945 is still in service anywhere in Maine without some kind of serious mutation in the tree or copious chemical enhancements. Either way, date nails haven't been used in many decades and even concrete ties may not last that long (some of the earliest from the 1970's are being replaced already).

Look at some of the patchwork. Two different fishplates are next to each other. One is probably the original at the end of the rail. The other added when the rail broke. Gauge bars all over the place. I was told once that these were used mainly on curves for strength and such to keep the rails together but this wasn't that curvy - though at the end of a wye. And, if it works so well on curves it would work real well on weak straight track, right?

Finally, look at the ballast. Mostly cinders and gravel. The B&ML did have that Swedish steamer a few years back but they've really been dieselized for over half a century. Cinders can still be found along the rails most anywhere, but usually in heaps that have been pushed out of the way of the tracks. It holds track really well but doesn't drain as well as crushed rock.

Not much exciting in the shot. We were waiting for the Waterville switcher to come down from Detroit and took the time to study the track detail and some of the other "ferroequinarchaeology" in the vicinity. Ironically, the switcher was waiting for a broken rail repair on the Pan Am mainline near MP 100.

Maybe Paul will send us something exciting to look at from California this weekend.

BC