macbruce Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 I've often heard if you score a RR rail with a grinder and give it a smack with the chisel shown via a big sledge that it will part.......Well, it didn't, even after I used a large pneumatic chipping hammer w/ a chisel......Is this a myth? Btw, I already know picking up stuff off the rr siding is a crime.... ^_^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Boy! What a question! I have heard that they cold-cut rails with those chisels. Just exactly how is only conjecture on my part. I suspect that it involved a team of men and heavy scoring all the way around the rail... BEFORE trying the big parting smack. I hope that someone here knows more... seems as though such knowledge is not so far back in our history that some of the older guys might at least know second hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete46 Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Place the rail face down between 2 blocks and hit it on the back over the scored part ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 I've often heard if you score a RR rail with a grinder and give it a smack with the chisel shown via a big sledge that it will part.......Well, it didn't, even after I used a large pneumatic chipping hammer w/ a chisel......Is this a myth? Btw, I already know picking up stuff off the rr siding is a crime.... ^_^ Not a myth (but obviously a bit of a mythstery how they were used), These chisels were used with a large sledge hammer, starting on the top of the rail and then down along the top section sides, on a solid mount, then the rail was placed over a couple of sleepers and further sledging applied. They were in longer lengths than the one you chose. Much easier and quicker with gas cutting, but needs must and circumstances dictate. (quicker than a hacksaw ! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r smith Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 http://www.iforgeiro...-railroad-rail/ http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/175751/1929414.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted August 9, 2012 Author Share Posted August 9, 2012 Thanks all, looks like I have the right tool for the job but I'm not about to score all around the sucker to try it (maybe 20yrs ago I would have)Just sounds too much like work to me..... ;) .....At the abana con I watched a striker of the Botero team hot cut through a 1 1/4'' x 5'' bar on edge at an angle clear through it using a rail cutter and of course someone was holding it. (Botero I think) He was a BIG boy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
small potatoes Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 My Friend showed me picture he took out the train window in China. They were stopped in a rail yard, and there were two guys cutting rail with a hack saw and a can of water. He guessed the guy holding the water can had seniority. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 The method I heard was to score the rail and drop it on a tie opposite the score. The impression I got was they didn't score all the way around. I was talking to some guys on a rail crew at a crossing back a secluded side road a ways. We were all on the clock so discretion was a good thing. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borntoolate Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 I have a small hunk of rail that I am using to score some fat hunks of metal to use for some hardy tools. I thought it might be hard-ish but it cut like butta in my portaband using a somewhat dull blade. It seemed to be almost overly soft. Sounds like that might not be the norm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Turns out that the RR prefers their rail to not be hard and brittle. Sometimes a high MN alloy to workharden in place. Does your hunk still have the crowning? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
physicsguy91 Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 I have actually been doing something similar to this fairly recently. I have several pieces of 9-10 ft. 132lb rail and I need pieces 3 ft. in length. Tried scoring with a largish chisel, placed the track up on 4x4s and hit the end with a 12lb sledge. Made a loud noise and jumped around, but no breaking. Perhaps a larger chisel designed for cutting RR would work, but I just don't know. Anyways, the way I am currently going about it is I am first cutting through the bottom web with a chop saw, and then at least scoring the top on either side. Could also be done with an oxy torch I suppose. After cutting the web I can usually break them in about two or three blows. The first opens up the cut a little, and the last breaks it, leaving only a small band along the top of the rail which is easily broken by tweaking the two ends around a bit. I have also played a bit with how much of the web actually even needs to be cut. On one rail I just went through the bottom horizontal part, leaving the vertical section, and was still able to break it. The break was not nearly as straight though, so if you are interested in a "clean" break, I would suggest cutting further up. Even a good break will need to be cleaned up some with a grinder if it is to stand upright or anything like that.This is tough stuff though. Just cutting the web is a decent undertaking, but at least with this method I am able to avoid having to cut the worst of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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