Re: gauge railway workshop to yard

"Richard Smith"  wrote in message news:m1zfrbqwjr.fsf@void.com...
Sorry if asked this already - if you wanted to lay line cheaply - you'd
go with flat-bar on its thin edge, welded to any steel you could find as
ties, set to gauge and with curvature, in-situ?  Bend the more
"restricted" - by clearance to things around, etc.? - first, and use a
gauging guide to set the other rail relative to it and weld-off to the
ties ("sleepers" in UK-speak) ?
Not sure how going to get a welding machine (electric) powered-up down
the mine, though.  No compressed-air-powered welding machine as I know
of... (?!).
(*
90 ;; Amps
20 ;; Volts
) ;; 1800
With 2.5mm 7018 you'd need 1.8kW - call it 2kW.
I commented as a question - down a mine you wouldn't need expansion
joints due to the near constancy of temperature?
Something like 100m of track might benefit from being re-laid anew.
Regards,
Rich S
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My sawmill track rails are 3" x 4.2 Lbs/ft channel iron, which bends relatively easily in the weak direction without twisting like angle iron and can be lagged or bolted down through the lower flange. I bought it as scrap pallet rack, bandsawed off the end plates that had fastened it to the columns, and reused them as splices. Two 8' sections bolted together might support a centered one ton log, though the gantry track for that is double 4" channel. An upright strip alone may be forced to twist outward and buckle between its supports, even if Ixx is adequate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_railway_track
A metal wear strip over hardwood might be the cheapest that will last in light service, and historically appropriate. I think in terms of custom hardwood shapes because I'm sawing oak into 6" x 6" beams or whatever I want, weather permitting - right now there's a lightning and tornado watch. Angle or tee iron can be bolted to sleepers in the mine to avoid welding and ease repair or removal; my luck would be to find just what I originally wanted right after completing the quickie version, which I then write off as bait.