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Laying over Two Miles of Track in Ten Hours.
Valuable Labour-aiding Device.

When, say, 50 or 100 miles of track has to be laid in America, a track-laying machine is frequently used. Such a machine has been found very useful where horses or mules cannot conveniently be used for distributing the sleepers, and others materials; and the machine has proved its usefulness even when a considerable part of the haulage has been done by horses in addition to the machine. The use of such a machine also saves the cutting-up of the formation surface by the horse-wagons.

The track laying machine does not actually lay the track, but it runs out the sleepers in front of the train on rollers or sliding paths, and delivers them, by means of a frame, right at the place where the track-laying gang is working. The frame projects in front of the first car. Some machines deliver the rails by means of overhead trollies on a frame extending as a cantilever in front of the first car, the rails being lowered right on to the sleepers at rail-head. The machine dispenses with the large gang of men otherwise required to handle and bring up the heavy rails.

Supplies of materials for half or full day are carried on the train, and the machine is moved forward one rail length at a time, or as may be required.

Sometimes only half the full numbers of sleepers are laid down at first, leaving the remainder to be put in by a following gang, an arrangement that cases the work of the first gang; but it is better practice to lay down the whole number of sleepers at once, and thus reduce the liability of damage to the rails and joints. The speed of the work done when the track-laying machine is used depends upon whether the supply of materials to the track-laying machine can be adequately maintained.

One type of machine is run with a train made up of flat topped ears, which are fitted on each side with conveyors or runways, generally using the left side for rails and the right side for sleepers. The conveyors are in sections suited for the length of the car, and are made flexible at each joint to suit any curvature of the track. They have also a slight inclination to the rail-head. They are not driven by power, but are used as rollers only.

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The sleepers and rails are placed upon the conveyors at the sides of the trucks, and are rolled along them to the front of the train by hand, and on arrival at the rail-head the material is handled by the relaying gang and placed in the track. Both sleepers and rails of course, come down the conveyors endwise, and the sleeper conveyor delivers some 30ft. in advance of the rail conveyor, so that the sleepers can be readily laid one rail's length in advance of the rails.

The sleeper conveyor is suspended as a cantilever in front of the first truck, and is adjustable laterally, so that it can be slewed round to suit the curves. When so required-as for instance, on bridges-the sleepers can be delivered in the centre of the track.

The reason for the delivery of the rails on the left side is that the left rail is usually laid first, and correct to line. The right-hand rail is then laid by gauge from the left rail. Some machines have a cantilever frame by which the rails are run out on trollies. The pushing up of the train is signalled with flags from the top of the cantilever frame, and the train is marshalled either at the depot, or at the place where the material is stored.

The train is usually made up with the cantilver-frame car in front, then three cars of rails, followed by six cars of sleepers, and then by the locomotive, the bolts and spikes being placed in tubs, bags or baskets on the pioneer car. As fast as one rail length is laid the train is pushed up the same distance. It is always necessary to have a set of three rail and six sleeper cars ready loaded, somewhere at the rear, so that they can be brought up when the first lot of cars have been emptied. A length of 11,200 feet of track has been laid with this type of machine, by 63 men, in ten hours; and 10,000 feet have been laid complete, with a gang of 110 men.

“There are many ways of seeing landscapes, but none more vivid than from a railway train.”-Stevenson.

“Travel is good for everyone… every day sees some advance in the means of communication.” -Duke of York.