Over-grown rails


just the opposite

Things are really weird around here. There's a section of abandoned track near where I live. There hasn't been a train on it since 1985, the tracks have been severed, but the signals are still active, and there is active weed control and some track maintenance. If the weather ever warms up, I can take a photo of it. My question would be, since there is so much weed-infested active track, why in the world would the railroad spend money keeping an abandoned line weed-free? And maintain signals that haven't been used in 25 years?
 
Maybe the business group told the operator group that there weren't anymore customers down there, but the maintenance crew never got the memo. "These tracks sure are easy to maintain! Let's just keep doing the easy work, putting in extra time, and keep our mouths shut."

;D
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Ladder day saints - mormonism forum
 
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Hey Joe that looks really good! I assume even in the densest areas your equipment runs through it unhindered?

Yes, the rail heads and flang ways are clean and clear. Everything runs fine over the weed covered tracks. I used three colors of static grass blended together and trimmed the length after the glue dried to give it a natural look.


rectangle_99991_IMG_1900.jpg
 
Things are really weird around here. There's a section of abandoned track near where I live. There hasn't been a train on it since 1985, the tracks have been severed, but the signals are still active, and there is active weed control and some track maintenance. If the weather ever warms up, I can take a photo of it. My question would be, since there is so much weed-infested active track, why in the world would the railroad spend money keeping an abandoned line weed-free? And maintain signals that haven't been used in 25 years?

As for weed control.....That is for the most part that is easy and cheap thing to do! The question is why maintain a dead line? May be there is plans down the road to re-open the line? There is a spur near me that looks dead but once in a blue moon they use it to store the MofW equipment and as a Team track for the power plant down the road!
 
As for weed control.....That is for the most part that is easy and cheap thing to do! The question is why maintain a dead line? May be there is plans down the road to re-open the line? There is a spur near me that looks dead but once in a blue moon they use it to store the MofW equipment and as a Team track for the power plant down the road!
This track goes up to directly behind a Target store, and almost to a warehouse that used to be a Sears warehouse until about 1990. There's absolutely zip there, not even a hope for anything, except that warehouse. It goes between two streets, crosses 5 streets (still with fully active crossings) to the Target. There isn't even a spot where something could be built that might justify rail service. The lines in the road have been painted over the rails (for years), and one street has paved over the rails.
 
my guess there is something under the rails, fiber optics ect that they still own and if they let it go some town or nimby will try and take it over for some stupid rails to trails or other encroachment development.
 
Yes, the rail heads and flang ways are clean and clear. Everything runs fine over the weed covered tracks. I used three colors of static grass blended together and trimmed the length after the glue dried to give it a natural look.


rectangle_99991_IMG_1900.jpg



That looks fantastic Joe:cool: On most model railroads the track and right away look way to perfect for real world conditions.
 
That looks fantastic Joe:cool: On most model railroads the track and right away look way to perfect for real world conditions.

Thanks Stephen,
If I was starting over I would use smaller rail, code 70 or maybe even hand lay55. I used Atlas code 83. It was cheap and runs great, my number one goal, but it looks to "good" for a 1960s era branch line and the over size spike detail really shows in photos even with the rail and ties painted a dark color.
 
There is a picture on railpictures of an ICE locomotive going through waste high weeds that is by far the worst I have ever seen. I saved it on my favorites on that website but it would take forever to find it. I think its been posted here in the past.
 
Maybe not completely in the weeds but this is the NECR (Ex CV) Mainline heading north out of Palmer, MA.

ThreeRivers.png
 
Re: "The question is why maintain a dead line?"
Perhaps the town in which the tracks lie has an ordinance on weed control. I know many do. (What I don't know is if a city can force the railroad to comply.)
 
Re: "The question is why maintain a dead line?"
Perhaps the town in which the tracks lie has an ordinance on weed control. I know many do. (What I don't know is if a city can force the railroad to comply.)
That's possible, but considering that many, if not most railroads existed before the towns concerned, I would question how much authority the towns could exert on railroads.
 



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