What's new
What's new

Train Rails, machinining and welding?

i_r_machinist

Titanium
Joined
Apr 12, 2007
Location
Dublin Texas
Started a knife forging project with the son. Turned a hydraulic wood splitter into a press by changing the wedge out for a piece of railroad track attached to the ram and a skid plate to follow the guide rails. Made the "anvil" out of another piece of rail that I milled flat to reduced the top surface area down to 1". Holy crap that thing was HARD! Been years since I made a light show like that. I did some research and have assumed that the rail top work hardened over the years as I found nothing about pre-harding of the rail.
Welded the rail with 1/8" 7014 and was not impressed. Doesn't seem like I'm getting penetration, but it held... the second time.
It worked great and beats the hell out of swinging a hammer. Next project is a drop hammer using the rail.
Any tips on welding and machining?
have fun
i_r_
 
railway steels range from 0.4% to 0.9% in carbon and 650-1200 mpa in uts. depends on what you have. traditionally they are simple perlitic steels with maybe a trace of cr.

the surface obviously suffers from heavy workhardening and develops a hard super-martensite layer, that often flakes off. lately bainitic steels have been used (e.g. eurotunnel) that are superion in rolling fatigue and spalling.

the other day i saw a guy cutting a railroad track on a bandsaw. i use a piece as an anvil, works well.
 
We used some main line rail picked off side of road as the beam for a log splitter.

Welded long straps of steel to support the splitter at the end and the force of the ram beige it off.

The rail looked like foam the ice chest material, it came out in chunks that looked like marbles.

Added longer straps to allow for more weld area and all good.

Rail is odd stuff, rolled mystery metal to specific function.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 








 
Back
Top