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Concrete sleepers with chairs and keys?

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Harbon 1

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I've found an old concrete sleeper on the Jinny Nature Trail with, surprisingly, two chairs attached. It was therefore used on the old Burton-Eggington line, but I'm wondering how widely concrete sleepers and chairs were used, I thought they were confined to preserved lines

Cheers,
Matt
 
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YorkshireBear

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I've found an old concrete sleeper on the Jinny Nature Trail with, surprisingly, two chairs attached. It was therefore used on the old Burton-Eggington line, but I'm wondering how widely concrete sleepers and chairs were used, I thought they were confined to preserved lines

Cheers,
Matt

Preserved lines usually get materials from the big railway so wouldn't suprise me if they were widespread.
 

The Informer

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I've found an old concrete sleeper on the Jinny Nature Trail with, surprisingly, two chairs attached. It was therefore used on the old Burton-Eggington line, but I'm wondering how widely concrete sleepers and chairs were used, I thought they were confined to preserved lines

Cheers,
Matt

Take a ride down the cambrian or on the Borderlands line from Wrexham to Bidston.


 

ChiefPlanner

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Introduced from the 1930's and much used in WW2 due to the lack of imported Jarrah etc timber supplies - there were lightweight versions for sidings ......
 

Ploughman

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We, on the NYMR, are gradually relaying with newer and removing our Conc BH sleepers.
3 sites this last winter.

They are life expired and starting to loose gauge and are nearly impossible to tighten the bolts up due to the bolts turning in the rotted concrete inside.
 

Muzer

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Chairs? Sorry, I'm quite new to the technical side of railways, presumably you don't mean things people sit in ;)
 

MattRobinson

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Muzer: A rail chair (of which there are a surprisingly large number of different types!) is the lump of metal that you see on a sleeper supporting bullhead rail. This is wider than the width of the rail, so there is also a key inserted along with the rail to hold it all tight. I'm sure someone with more knowledge of the permanent way will be along in a moment to explain.
 

RPM

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The GWR certainly made use of them. There is quite a lot of it on the Aylesbury - Princes Risborough branch with GWR 1930s dated chairs. You wouldn't know it was old track from riding over it though because the joints have been welded up.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
There's quite a lot of wartime ones along the former RAF Bicester branch:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rpmarks/3644102380/
 

Gwenllian2001

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The GWR certainly made use of them. There is quite a lot of it on the Aylesbury - Princes Risborough branch with GWR 1930s dated chairs. You wouldn't know it was old track from riding over it though because the joints have been welded up.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
There's quite a lot of wartime ones along the former RAF Bicester branch:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rpmarks/3644102380/

There was, and still may be, quite a lot of this style of trackwork installed in South Wales by BR (W).
 

L&Y Robert

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There was, and still may be, quite a lot of this style of trackwork installed in South Wales by BR (W).
Yes - Cogan to Dinas Powis (and beyond, I think) was bull-head rail in chairs on old concrete sleepers. When I lived just by the line in the early 70s(Sunnycroft Estate) the ballast cleaner was used along there, and of course I expected the track panels to be replaced with F.B. rail panels afterwards, but no! - they put in some new ballast and then thermit welded all the old bull-head rail panels instead!
 

Gwenllian2001

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Yes - Cogan to Dinas Powis (and beyond, I think) was bull-head rail in chairs on old concrete sleepers. When I lived just by the line in the early 70s(Sunnycroft Estate) the ballast cleaner was used along there, and of course I expected the track panels to be replaced with F.B. rail panels afterwards, but no! - they put in some new ballast and then thermit welded all the old bull-head rail panels instead!

In the early Seventies, a considerable stretch, between Dinas Powys and Cogan was damaged by a derailed wagon bouncing along the sleepers. It was some months before repairs were carried out and the damaged components were replaced like for like.
 

L&Y Robert

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In the early Seventies, a considerable stretch, between Dinas Powys and Cogan was damaged by a derailed wagon bouncing along the sleepers. It was some months before repairs were carried out and the damaged components were replaced like for like.
Yes, I saw it happen - well, I saw the cloud of dust it caused. It was my commute route - DP to Queen St. by DMU.
 
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