Widnes track

[high camera]

Whats this for at Widnes please ?

 

[furnessvale]

Whats this for at Widnes please ?

Look like temporary fishplates around a possibly faulty weld in the rail.

 

[Elecman]

Look like temporary fishplates around a possibly faulty weld in the rail.

Agreed for a rail fault or flaw

 

[Ploughman]

Can't see a weld in the rail there, more likely to be a Rail Flaw.
Plates for failed welds are a different style.
Indian railways film clip.

 

[furnessvale]

Can't see a weld in the rail there, more likely to be a Rail Flaw.
Plates for failed welds are a different style.
Indian railways film clip.

Yes, joggled plates would be used around a Thermit weld. Not sure if straight emergency plates would fit over factory welds ( a long time since I was on the per way), but more likely a rail flaw as you say.

 

[high camera]

Thanks for the replies

 

[mr_moo]

Have a look at the running band, i.e. the shiny section along the top of the rail. You'll note that there is a change in the area that is clamped:



It's impossible to tell what kind of defect it is from the photo but this does show that the rail has slightly deformed here - could be a section has spalled, could be a manufacturing defect caused a shallow, could be a 'longitudinal vertical split' developing, could be a range of things. This is likely to have been spotted by either patrollers and/or the ultrasonic test train, and will have been assigned a defect category depending on how serious it is and a timescale within which it should be removed from track. This could be within hours or months, again depending on severity, and may require regular monitoring while the clamps are in place too.

They are essentially a backup - should the defect cause the rail to crack, the plates will hold the rails in alignment (but they are unlikely to stop it from pulling apart). They remain in place till the defect can be removed.

I can't see any evidence of a weld being there, thermit or flash-butt, so I'm pretty sure it's not a failed weld.