Re: gauge railway workshop to yard

"Richard Smith"  wrote in message news:m1v82jevqa.fsf@void.com...
While on the topic - if you were renewing railway track in a mine,
expedience the only concern - what would you use?
The low rolling resistance and being able to simply push wagons to a
tonne weight along levels you cannot stick your elbow out in is
fundamentally advantageous.
Saw on a US website that still sell rails for mine railways.
For infrequent hobby use you would use?
Access into mine limited - no adit (horizontal) access nor sloping
decline - is shaft only.
Wondered whether you could lower flat bar (rectangular section) down the
shaft in long lengths and weld to steel "ties" to make a functioning
railway (not going to need expansion joints down there - not many frosts
and not much "solar gain" on heatwave days!).
Saw on a video a coal mine in Pakistan where they use angle-iron for
rails - shows rope-worked decline the wagons come to surface along.
Which I take it is cost-justified?
There are points / switches - cannot have double-flanged wheels to
self-stabilise track, for what it's worth...  And yes the tracks do
snake around with curves in following the lodes.
--------------------------------
Angle iron track appears to be common on home made sawmills with rolling bandsaw heads. The V grooved wheels can be turned on a lathe. Mine uses 3" C channel for track because it was available cheaply from a surplus store, as dismantled pallet racks. Since I have machine tools I don't need to seek perfect solutions to problems, I can make what's needed to adapt to what's available.
All connections are bolted on at least one side rather than welded to ease disassembly and keep splice fittings small enough to fit in a milling machine vise. After drilling a splice plate's bolt pattern accurately on the mill I clamp it to the aligned rails outdoors on sawhorses and match-drill the holes into the rails, usually tapping them to minimize fiddling with small fasteners in awkward places, like next to wherever huge logs came to rest. The bolts are turned to a thread root diameter pilot on the ends to help align and start them with one free hand.
I found it easier on the back and knees to assemble several track section (24') on sawhorses and lower them into place with a portable folding tripod hoist. The ties have leveling screws at the ends to accommodate uneven ground and the hoist helps to align and level the track before screwing the levelers down to contact.
Being a sawmill there are no sideways curves and I'm careful to eliminate vertical ones, so I can't help there. The logs rest on supports that are separate from the carriage track.
I used 3/8" bolts wherever possible so I need to carry only one size wrench in my pocket.
If you use rope or cable to pull the carts snatch blocks like this are very useful, as they can be placed on or taken off an already tensioned line as needed. Braided cotton rope is easier on the hands than synthetic or manila.
https://www.myteeproducts.com/recovery-winch-snatch-blocks.html?fee=1&fep=8173&attId=134&attVal=4924&gad_source=1