. The elements of railroad engineering . expenses compel the use of the cheapestmaterial and methods. Cross-ties thoroughly seasoned willlast fully one-quarter longer than those used while green,and they are better in every way. Well-seasoned wood willhold the spikes better and resist the shearing tendency of the rails due to passingloads better than greenties. The most favorablemonths in Northern lati-tudes for cutting ties areAugust, December, Janu-ary, and February. Dur-Fu;. ing these months there is comparatively no movement in the sap of the trees. Theties should be hewn to uniform
. The elements of railroad engineering . expenses compel the use of the cheapestmaterial and methods. Cross-ties thoroughly seasoned willlast fully one-quarter longer than those used while green,and they are better in every way. Well-seasoned wood willhold the spikes better and resist the shearing tendency of the rails due to passingloads better than greenties. The most favorablemonths in Northern lati-tudes for cutting ties areAugust, December, Janu-ary, and February. Dur-Fu;. ing these months there is comparatively no movement in the sap of the trees. Theties should be hewn to uniform thickness and piled in squarepiles about 4^ feet in height, as shown in Fig. 488, so as toadmit of the free circulation of the air and to hasten theseasoning process. 1597. Specifications for and Inspection ofCross-Ties.—Specifications should include dimensions, andkind and quality of timber. Ties for standard gauge tracksshould be from 8 to 9 feet in length, from 0 to 8 inches inthickness, and show not less than 6 inches of face. The. TRACK WORK. 1031 standard tie is 8 feet G inches in length, 7 inches in thick-ness, and shows at least 7 inches of face. In the Northern,Middle, and Western States, log ties, i. e., ties cut fromentire trees and showing two rounded sides, are principallyused. In the Southern, Atlantic, and Gulf States, yellowpine ties are in almost universal use. They are square hewnand made of heart timber, not more than 1 inch of sap beingallowed on the corners. In Southern latitudes, where theprocess of decay goes on throughout the year, sap timber isalmost worthless. The sap timber soon softens, the spikesloosen and the rails cut into the wood, leaving the track ina dangerous state. In those portions of the South whereoak is abundant, oak ties are much used. They are generallysquare hewn. This is a mistake, especially if the ties arecut from young thrifty trees (and no other timber should beused), since a considerable portion of the weight of the tieis sacr
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectrailroadengineering
