Concrete Ties mixed with Wooden Switches


H

Hypolito

New Member
I am considering using concrete ties to simulate a modern section of my layout. Question, do prototype railroads use wooden switches or do they have concrete ties under their turnouts. It may not look good to go from concrete main through a wooden turnout, and then back into concrete. Any ideas would help.
 
Most lines with concrete ties have wooden ties under the turnouts. Only recently have concrete tie turnouts been in use. I don't know if they have been approved here yet.

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Yep it is very prototypical to run concrete ties and then wooden ties with switches. We watch a bunch of those Pentrex, "At the Throttle, Cab Rides" DVDS with trains in California such as BNSF's, and you see that quite frequently. I agree it does look a little odd, but hey, it works!
 
On the BNSF Red Rock Sub, most concrete tie installations are in curves with wooden ties everywhere else, including over most bridges and through all turnouts.
 
Hypolito said:
I am considering using concrete ties to simulate a modern section of my layout. Question, do prototype railroads use wooden switches or do they have concrete ties under their turnouts. It may not look good to go from concrete main through a wooden turnout, and then back into concrete. Any ideas would help.
Click to expand...

Yes it is prototypical to use concrete ties on main tracks while using wooden ties under the switches, or within "Interlocking Limits".

The Northeast Corridor main tracks have been tied with concrete for many years, but key segments remained with wood ties. Some interlockings were retied with concrete, while others were retied or re-aligned using wood tied switches and panels. In 2005, a segment on the Harrisburg Line was re-tied in concrete, including the switches leading to industrial sidings.

Joe
 
I'm told wooden ties are used under switches because there's no adjustments with concrete ties. All the track I've worked between Subury ON and Vancouver BC are like that.
I included some concrete ties in the old layout to represent a test section.
 
This is actually an interesting question. I travel the NEC a couple of times a week and took some video out the window last year. I just went back and took a close look and found that the switching on the mains (my footage was taken after leaving Newark Penn, heading toward NY Penn) uses concrete ties. I happened to catch an "Extreme Trains" installment that documented the Acela on the NEC. During that show, they actually talked about wood being used on the entrance to NY Penn so that the Port Authority could build the switching tracks in Brooklyn and then bring them over to be dropped in at night, during off-peak hours. So there is a mixture being used.
 
Rico said:
I'm told wooden ties are used under switches because there's no adjustments with concrete ties. All the track I've worked between Subury ON and Vancouver BC are like that.
I included some concrete ties in the old layout to represent a test section.
Click to expand...

That is or was the prevailing thought. Then one high speed interlocking after another was replaced with panels composed of concrete ties. Of course these switches are equipped with movable point frogs. The use of concrete switch ties under switches leading to industrial sidings came as a complete surprise.

Joe
 
The south side of Chicago Union Station is a mix of wood and concrete ties. As far as I've noticed (and I ride METRA every weekday), all the switches are wooden ties.

Have to take a closer look to see if any have been replaced with concrete.
 
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Here's a decent view of the mix of ties leading into Chicago. This is Roosevelt looking south.
 
Efram-
Making me homesick with those pics! Interestingly, last time I was in Chicago (about 1-1/2 years ago), I noted that the North suburban runs, and in your photos too, the Metra cars are the corregated ones that the Burlington/BN used, rather than the smooth-side that were formerly C&NW. My late father rode the Northwestern for 50-odd years from the northern suburbs to Dearborn Street station. (BTW, anyone want a nice house in Glencoe? My late Mom's house is up for sale. Six minutes walk to the Metra station at Hubbard Woods.)
 
Came in this morning on the track just to the left (east) of the METRA in efram's pic. Definitely all wooden ties for the switches on that stretch. The tracks with the concrete ties were just rebuilt recently - last summer maybe? Can't recall exactly.
 
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