Foreign Rail
I was looking at the above picture of rail and began wandering all over the internet to find out about it. I found a few other details while I was at it. Nippon rail showed up all over the Union Pacific system on the previously reported trip to Nebraska, so my curiosity was already nudged on the subject.
This particular 141 pound rail was found in the "Bottoms" of Kansas City on the Union Pacific. I guess you'd say it was a high traffic area rather than a high speed area. The three track mainline in Nebraska as well as the upgraded Marysville Subdivision had a lot of identical Nippon rail too. The info I found said that Nippon and Krupp produce extra hardened specialty rails for high stress areas, which are only a small but growing portion of the overall rail market. It costs more to make and more to transport from overseas. Surprisingly, one forum I came across had track workers saying the Nippon rail was a pain to put down because the height of the base wasn't consistent for pressing on tie clamps. The machinery to do the job needs to be adjusted constantly. Domestic normal steel rail is apparently easier to install because of uniform dimensions and softer composition. I read that they had some other complaints because the extra hardening didn't agree well with drill bits and grinders either. My guess would be that someone didn't receive the right equipment for the job.
Mittal makes the most common domestic rail these days, but there are other producers with modern processes, like Oregon Steel Mills that owns the former Colorado Fuel and Iron rail plant in Pueblo, CO. Steel Dynamics of Indiana produced some of the rail for Amtrak's Downeaster expansion to Brunswick. Mittal is a foreign company that picked up a few of the leftovers of the US steel industry, including the former Bethlehem Steel's Steelton rail plant near Harrisburg, PA. Standard rail from a wide variety of foreign sources has been and will be tried out, especially when the currency markets favor it. Krupp rail was very popular in the 1920's because of this and the Boston and Albany route was once relaid with it. Norfolk Southern and others are trying out Chinese sources these days, among others. But, the vast variables that go into rebuilding a line don't always boil down to cost numbers for choice of rail. Sometimes durability and metallurgy are priority. New demands for increased weight and volumes on the rail network may favor quality over quantity.
While looking for rail photos I found another foreign, albeit closer rail source. I found some Sydney Steel rail in my photo files. This 115 pound rail was from 1982 and it appears the plant has been shut down since then. Geographically, it's about the same distance as the nearest domestic producers, but it's not the same distance as Japan or Germany. This piece was found on the former Maine Central just south (rail west) of Danville Junction, at the former "Brown's Crossing". It contains Newfoundland iron ore heated with Cape Breton coal. The company became a Crown Company (government owned) in 1967. This particular rail looks like it's seen better days.
I couldn't help but end on this classic though domestic note. Here is some rail on the north end of the Bangor and Aroostook mainline in Fort Kent, literally within sight of Canada. It's the standard 85 pound Bethlehem Steel, vintage 1938. Other than being light weight and obsolete, it looks pretty good for being well used over the last 70+ years. Of course, it has benefited from being in Maine where "life in the slow lane" is the norm. It may be replaced by one of those names listed above if the line is to be serviceable to the latest car load limits.
BC
