Track longevity and replacement dates

[hexagon789]

Wasn’t the Thurso branch relaid in bullhead relatively recently?

Outside my area of knowledge I'm afraid, sorry

 

[Hirn]

Wasn’t the Thurso branch relaid in bullhead relatively recently?

Indeed it was and within the last few years.

I can see the arguments for bull head rail: more flexible to curve, easier to change a rail as you could readily remove the keys have the rail out and then knock the keys back in to resecure, an easier section to roll without the wide thinner foot of flatbottom and less to plane off making point work. However you do need the chairs and I doubt the relay from Thurso to Georgemas Junction used new ones. The new bullhead was rolled in Austria and arrived in Thurso by ship.

Interestingly, London Underground decided to retain bullhead on the southern end of the Central Line out to Morden at about the same time and I take it as welded rail.

 

[D6130]

Interestingly, London Underground decided to retain bullhead on the southern end of the Central Line out to Morden at about the same time and I take it as welded rail.

Northern Line I think!

 

[Hirn]

Northern Line I think!

Quite correct the southern end of the Northern line.

 

[181]

There are a few sidings at certain stations on the West Highland Line which still have the original rails, chairs and (now very rotten) sleepers dating back to the opening of the line in 1894....or 1901 in the case of the Mallaig extension.

Are sidings like these actually used or were they just never removed/have no requirement?

The siding at Corrour was used for parking wagons after the Loch Treig derailment (the one that led to the cutting up of a class 66) in 2012, although my recollection is that they didn't go right to the buffer stops, which is where the rails looked oldest and is the only part where I'm certain that there are original chairs (visible from the access route to the platform).

 

[D6130]

The siding at Corrour was used for parking wagons after the Loch Treig derailment (the one that led to the cutting up of a class 66) in 2012, although my recollection is that they didn't go right to the buffer stops, which is where the rails looked oldest and is the only part where I'm certain that there are original chairs (visible from the access route to the platform).

The Up sidings at Ardlui stick in my memory.