Bullhead rail

[D6130]

Interesting. When did that change? In the late 1990s there was still still jointed track on the 90 mph slow lines between Woking and Basingstoke. Great fun on a fast or semi fast that ran on the slows. Settle to Carnforth is still 90% jointed with a mix of bullhead and flat bottom. It's pretty well maintained. The 144 unit rode pretty well despite their infamous reputation. I went on the line in November 2019 for the full Pacer experience. I guessed it was still jointed. Must be one of the longest remaining routes.


Look up Seaton Junction on Youtube. Some cracking footage of 47s and 50s going past at full pelt.

I agree with you that the Settle Junction-Carnforth line is still largely jointed track - I would say nearer 75% - but I have to disagree about the standard of the ride with class 142 and 144 units. I drove them over that line for twenty years between 1992 and 2012 and the appalling ride and lack of suspension on the units was a major contributor to my having to take early retirement on medical grounds with a chronic and painful back problem. As originally built, the driving seats on the pacers were bolted directly onto the vertical bulkhead at the rear of the cab (as they still are on the 15x Sprinter units). This led to the vertical forces from the many dipped joints - paticularly on the bull head sections - being transmitted straight up the driver's spine. Eventually, from the late 'nineties onwards, they were replaced by pedestal mounted seats - but for many drivers, myself included, the damage had already been done. The local P. way gangs do their best to maintain their sections, but some of the bull head sections date from the WW2 period! We had hoped that when the steel sleeper FB CWR on the Settle & Carlisle was replaced, it would be transplanted onto the Bentham line - but no such luck! TBH, I'm surprised that the 60 mph permissable speed limit hasn't been reduced although, now that the Pacers are gone, the air-sprung bogies on the 150/153/156/158 units give a much more acceptable ride, although still quite lively in places!

 

[Dr_Paul]

The bay at Kingston is still in jointed bullhead track, and some of it was replaced a couple of years back with brand new rails; unfortunately I couldn't read the makers' details on the web. After replacement, the old rails were left in the four foot for a while, and I was surprised at the damage caused to the foot of the rail as it was pushed down on the chair by the weight of the rolling stock, a good quarter inch dent and some cracking.

Quite a bit of the London Underground is still in bullhead, sometimes with three or four lengths welded into one long length. It seems to me that over the years flat-bottom rail has been steadily replacing bullhead rail. Perhaps someone here can confirm that.

 

[Western 52]

I remember seeing bullhead rail with every other joint welded up. This was on the Coryton branch. Not sure how common that was? Presumably it improved the ride and reduced maintenance costs. Fewer dipped joints too. Any lines with this nowadays?

 

[paul1609]

I have worked with a number of different rail sizes over the years, but I have not yet worked with UIC 92.
Where is it used in the UK? other than as noted above on the KESR?

Sorry phone typo should be UIC 52. As I understand it its almost 113lb flat bottom. The KESR batch was imported specifically from Austria for the Northiam to Bodiam section. At the time EWS was in its freight revival era and had pushed up the price of second hand bullhead and flat bottom to the position that it was cheaper to order a minimum batch of new rail, its about 3kms worth. On the K&ESR its largely laid on ex BR (WR) SHC sleepers. No idea if it's been used elsewhere in the UK.

 

[D6130]

Sorry phone typo should be UIC 52. As I understand it its almost 113lb flat bottom. The KESR batch was imported specifically from Austria for the Northiam to Bodiam section. At the time EWS was in its freight revival era and had pushed up the price of second hand bullhead and flat bottom to the position that it was cheaper to order a minimum batch of new rail, its about 3kms worth. On the K&ESR its largely laid on ex BR (WR) SHC sleepers. No idea if it's been used elsewhere in the UK.

Possibly on HS1?.....but obviously not with SHC sleepers.

 

[Annetts key]

I remember seeing bullhead rail with every other joint welded up. This was on the Coryton branch. Not sure how common that was? Presumably it improved the ride and reduced maintenance costs. Fewer dipped joints too. Any lines with this nowadays?

Occasionally there are longer runs where bullhead has been welded up for maintenance reasons. Well, until a defect is found...

Only viable where expansion will not cause problems in summer.

Sorry phone typo should be UIC 52. As I understand it its almost 113lb flat bottom. The KESR batch was imported specifically from Austria for the Northiam to Bodiam section. At the time EWS was in its freight revival era and had pushed up the price of second hand bullhead and flat bottom to the position that it was cheaper to order a minimum batch of new rail, its about 3kms worth. On the K&ESR its largely laid on ex BR (WR) SHC sleepers. No idea if it's been used elsewhere in the UK.

I’ve not encountered UIC 52, but have come across far too much UIC 54. BR started using for points before privatisation. I first saw it at Bathampton Junction in 1989.

http://www.railroadpart.com/news/specifications-of-uic-54-steel-rail.html

There is also RT60 / NR60. This has been getting installed in bits and pieces all over the place on main lines. There are some references in this document https://www.thepwi.org/technical_hu...c_maintenance_reliability_life_ex_neil_denton and in this one https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-co...twork-Rail-Standards-Catalogue-March-2019.pdf

 

[Bigman]

I was staying in Tenby a couple of years ago and decided to have a run out on a train. Bullhead rail, which was very overgrown, and then the driver has to get out and open the metal cabinet to obtain a good old fashioned token. Had he not been driving a 143, I could have been forgiven for thinking I was on a preserved railway...oh wait, 143's are being preserved now. Old station buildings very run down which is a massive shame.

 

[nlogax]

LU certainly still do re-railing with new bullhead rail. I presume this is done on an as-required basis in locations where the entire track structure isn’t due for renewal.

Isn't bullhead used where tighter curvatures are required?

 

[HSTEd]

Forgive my ignorance, but given the cheapness of modern steel, is there actually much need for a thin webbed profile any more?

Couldn't you just have a bar with the same width as the head and a flange on the bottom for fixing?
Then the rail could be used until it wore down so much that the flange on the wheel was scrapping the bottom of the rail?

 

[furnessvale]

Forgive my ignorance, but given the cheapness of modern steel, is there actually much need for a thin webbed profile any more?

Couldn't you just have a bar with the same width as the head and a flange on the bottom for fixing?
Then the rail could be used until it wore down so much that the flange on the wheel was scrapping the bottom of the rail?

The current profile of a rail also acts as a beam to carry up to 25t axle loads (in the UK).

A rail used as you suggest would have little strength left towards the end of its life

 

[bassmike]

A cab ride with a class 33 (can't remember the name of the video offhand) down the SW main line from london to somewhwere like Exeter or something showed the terrible difference after Worting junc: where after a half mile or so of modern track, it changed to b/h. jointed. The difference in ride quality with pronounced side-sway, joint noise and visible wavering of the track-line was all too obvious.

 

[Dr_Paul]

A cab ride with a class 33 (can't remember the name of the video offhand) down the SW main line from london to somewhwere like Exeter or something showed the terrible difference after Worting junc: where after a half mile or so of modern track, it changed to b/h. jointed. The difference in ride quality with pronounced side-sway, joint noise and visible wavering of the track-line was all too obvious.

I remember when the Ffestiniog Railway relaid the track across the Cob in flat-bottom rail, replacing the bullhead rail. The difference in ride quality was quite noticeable; it was much smoother when relaid. (I once was on permanent way duty and checked all the keys across the Cob, but I don't think that the rough riding quality on the Cob was because of that.)

Another stretch of bullhead rail I've travelled is the line from the Windsor Lines at Wandsworth up to East Putney. The riding is very rough compared to the flat-bottom track before and after it.

 

[2392]

Indeed a few years ago the North Yorkshire Moors bought a batch of brand new bullhead rail [for use in their stations] at a very good rate. These rails weren't up to standard for use on 125mph rated lines, but perfectly adequate for the lower/slower speeds that Moors trains would be running at in their stations. Or for that matter lines with a lower maximum speed on the national network........ as after all not all lines are rated to run at 125mph

 

[edwin_m]

Indeed a few years ago the North Yorkshire Moors bought a batch of brand new bullhead rail [for use in their stations] at a very good rate. These rails weren't up to standard for use on 125mph rated lines, but perfectly adequate for the lower/slower speeds that Moors trains would be running at in their stations. Or for that matter lines with a lower maximum speed on the national network........ as after all not all lines are rated to run at 125mph

Bullhead may be equally easy to lay using the low-tech methods that a heritage railway with volunteer labour is probably relying on. However all NR's high-productivity plant is probably geared around flat bottom and modern sleepers and fixings.

 

[2392]

Bullhead may be equally easy to lay using the low-tech methods that a heritage railway with volunteer labour is probably relying on. However all NR's high-productivity plant is probably geared around flat bottom and modern sleepers and fixings.

Yes indeed.Though as has been highlighted else where in this thread there are still many miles o fbullhead in use on Network Rail and the London Underground......What'smore IIRC the batch the Moors was offered had been part of an order for Network Rail/London Underground. But wasn'tquite upto scratch for their purposes. What's more the Moors only use bullhead in the stations as each is set in various historical eras, but these days tend to use flat bottom and partly CWR on the running line between each station.

 

[Deepgreen]

There are sections of track , on the Stoke - Leek line that are concrete sleepers & Bullhead rail.
Dave.

Also on the WHL, especially the Mallaig extension.

Yes, it would have been jointed bull-head rail in those days. Must have made a tremendous din travelling over it at 126mph and I dare say a few keys probably popped out as well! AFAIK - and I'm sure our more knowledgeable P. Way friends will correct me if I'm wrong - flat bottom rail was first installed experimentally in the UK in the inter-war period by the LMS and LNER, although still in jointed 60 foot lengths. It wasn't widely adopted until after nationalisation in 1948 and continuously welded rail didn't become widespread until the late 1950's on main lines and much later on secondary routes. Although most CWR was flat-bottom laid on concrete sleepers, bull-head CWR on wooden sleepers was widely used on secondary main lines in the former North Eastern Region such as York-Scarborough and the Durham Coast line. These rails were produced in a special rail welding depot set up at Dinsdale, near Darlington. I remember, when I worked at Aylesbury in the early 'nineties, there were two sections of continuously-welded bull-head rail with concrete sleepers on the Risborough branch, either side of Little Kimble. I believe that the maximum permitted speed on jointed track nowadays is 75 mph and 60 if it's bull-head rail but, again, I'm open to correction. When I was at Brighton in the mid-eighties there was still a roughly half-mile section of jointed bull-head rail on the Up Eastbourne line between Polegate and Berwick which had a theoretical 90 mph limit but, as all passenger trains stopped at Polegate and it was on a fairly steep rising gradient, it was rarely traversed at more than about 70, even by the expresses which didn't stop at Berwick. I also recall that, well into the new century, there was a fairly long section of 90 mph jointed flat-bottom rail on the Down WoE line between Grateley and Salisbury and that made a really impressive sound at full-pelt going downhill.

Of course, in 1938 (the Mallard run), maintenance of track was labour-intensive, with 'lengthmen' responsible for their own patches. I imagine that special attention was paid to Stoke Bank prior to the record run to ensure it was in the best condition possible.

 

[edwin_m]

Yes indeed.Though as has been highlighted else where in this thread there are still many miles o fbullhead in use on Network Rail and the London Underground......What'smore IIRC the batch the Moors was offered had been part of an order for Network Rail/London Underground. But wasn'tquite upto scratch for their purposes. What's more the Moors only use bullhead in the stations as each is set in various historical eras, but these days tend to use flat bottom and partly CWR on the running line between each station.

Most of that on Network Rail will be on lines that get so little use that relaying only happens every few decades and probably hasn't been done since the high output equipment appeared on the scene. The bullhead is presumably used for spot renewals on those routes, but when wholesale replacement is unavoidable then flat bottom will be used.

 

[matchmaker]

Isn't bullhead used where tighter curvatures are required?

I've never seen flatbottom with check rails.

 

[D6130]

I've never seen flatbottom with check rails.

I have seen sharply curved FB rail with check rails, but the check rails are BH. There must be a special type of chair for a combination of FB running rail and BH check rail. Sorry, can't remember exactly where I've seen this and , obviously, I'm not getting out and about much at the moment, but if anyone else can pinpoint this type of track on a fairly recently-relayed sharp curve I would be interested to hear about it. It may also possibly exist on some viaducts.

 

[PeterJ]

CEN33 specific check rail, not bullhead on new renewals
Seen at Portsmouth Harbour https://twitter.com/NetworkRailWssx/status/1352541539994644480
And more detail in this thread: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/001e-concrete-bearers.186357/

 

[Ploughman]

Grosmont station on the Esk Valley line.
FB jtd track with Check fittted.

 

[2392]

Grosmont station on the Esk Valley line.
FB jtd track with Check fittted.

I could remember exactly, but yes you've confirmed my memory Ploughman.

 

[Western 52]

I think Swansea Loop may also have this.

 

[edwin_m]

If I recall correctly there's a special check rail shape for FB rail, that is like an inverted L. This would also need something non-standard to fix it to the sleeper - unless it's bolted to the rail itself.

 

[swt_passenger]

If I recall correctly there's a special check rail shape for FB rail, that is like an inverted L. This would also need something non-standard to fix it to the sleeper - unless it's bolted to the rail itself.

Here’s a picture of what you’re describing, furthest rail:

 

[edwin_m]

Here’s a picture of what you’re describing, furthest rail:
View attachment 91520

That's the one thanks.

 

[D6130]

That's the one thanks.

Good photo! I stand corrected.

 

[edwin_m]

Good photo! I stand corrected.

I'm pretty sure I've seen the bullhead arrangement you originally mentioned too. No idea what influences the designers to choose one or the other!

 

[Western 52]

I suppose grooved rail as used on tramways also acts as a checkrail? Is it used anywhere other than tramways?

 

[30907]

I suppose grooved rail as used on tramways also acts as a checkrail? Is it used anywhere other than tramways?

Not that I know of. The wheel profile of trams differs significantly - where tramways were used by standard gauge wagons, they had to be slightly narrower in gauge as the wagon flanges would run on the groove.