Joe Michaels
Diamond
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2004
- Location
- Shandaken, NY, USA
Dana:
I want to thank you here for selling me the copy of "Elements of Railroad Track and Construction". The book arrived here safely, and you did an above-and-beyond job of wrapping and packing it for shipment. The book itself is in excellent condition, and I am enjoying reading it. Interestingly, a few years back, I was having a discussion with a buddy who used to look after track maintenance on our tourist railroad. Our tourist railroad runs over the old Ulster and Delaware RR line.
The environmentalists are continually looking to make our lives miserable and succeeded in taking 11 miles of our track for a rail trail. At the time, the environmentalists were waging their war, one of the things they had zeroed in on was the use of creosoted cross ties. I asked my buddy if we could use concrete cross ties (sleepers to our UK brethren). The answer was using concrete cross ties, while it would be better environmentally, was an all-or-nothing type thing. Apparently mixing wooden cross ties and concrete ones on the same run of track gave some very destructive results when trains passed over that track. I put the thought aside, until the book arrived here. Lo and behold, in the early 1900's, the Ulster and Delaware RR was experimenting with reinforced concrete ties with imbeds for tying the rails to them.
My buddy died about three years ago, and I thought of our conversation about the cross ties, and remembered him like it was yesterday. I did give a eulogy at his funeral, and reading about the trials of concrete cross ties on the U & D RR was like hearing his voice on the subject.
Thanks again for selling me the book and the great job of packing it-
Best regards-
Joe Michaels
I want to thank you here for selling me the copy of "Elements of Railroad Track and Construction". The book arrived here safely, and you did an above-and-beyond job of wrapping and packing it for shipment. The book itself is in excellent condition, and I am enjoying reading it. Interestingly, a few years back, I was having a discussion with a buddy who used to look after track maintenance on our tourist railroad. Our tourist railroad runs over the old Ulster and Delaware RR line.
The environmentalists are continually looking to make our lives miserable and succeeded in taking 11 miles of our track for a rail trail. At the time, the environmentalists were waging their war, one of the things they had zeroed in on was the use of creosoted cross ties. I asked my buddy if we could use concrete cross ties (sleepers to our UK brethren). The answer was using concrete cross ties, while it would be better environmentally, was an all-or-nothing type thing. Apparently mixing wooden cross ties and concrete ones on the same run of track gave some very destructive results when trains passed over that track. I put the thought aside, until the book arrived here. Lo and behold, in the early 1900's, the Ulster and Delaware RR was experimenting with reinforced concrete ties with imbeds for tying the rails to them.
My buddy died about three years ago, and I thought of our conversation about the cross ties, and remembered him like it was yesterday. I did give a eulogy at his funeral, and reading about the trials of concrete cross ties on the U & D RR was like hearing his voice on the subject.
Thanks again for selling me the book and the great job of packing it-
Best regards-
Joe Michaels
