How many spikes to a tie?

I have noticed a difference in how some roads spiked down a rail, especially on curves.

For instance-- curves on Metro North seem to have three spikes on the outside but on straight sections there's the usual two inside two outside. Southern Railway also did this. Further West in former B&O and NYC territory the two inside spikes are close together instead of being on a slant. Meanwhile on the LIRR, EL and D&H all I ever saw were two spikes inside and two outside at angles.

Was there a standard? Or whatever the Chief Engineer specified for each individual road?

Whatever it takes based on average traffic and particular stress on a rail. Minimum is obviously one on each side of the rail per tie.

Like this shot in the northeast, concrete ties have a different retaining system than spikes.

The concrete tie fasteners are called pandrol clips . Do you know what the blue bit is , John ??? . Some sort of anti corrosion pad ???

bingdude wrote:I have noticed a difference in how some roads spiked down a rail, especially on curves.

For instance-- curves on Metro North seem to have three spikes on the outside but on straight sections there's the usual two inside two outside. Southern Railway also did this. Further West in former B&O and NYC territory the two inside spikes are close together instead of being on a slant. Meanwhile on the LIRR, EL and D&H all I ever saw were two spikes inside and two outside at angles.

Was there a standard? Or whatever the Chief Engineer specified for each individual road?

NYC Transit used two spikes on the running rail, and two spikes in the adjacent holes, for 14" rail plates. The additional spikes on the field side of a curve may not have been a standard, but may have been installed to reduce lateral movement. Installing more than four cut spikes in a plate, or not offsetting them, can reduce the lifespan of a wood crosstie signifcantly. That is why spikes are becoming obsolete, and screw spikes with e-clips (aka pretzels) are now being used. From my experience with NYCT and the LIRR, both of their Engineering Departments have specific standards, which exceed FRA 213.

-G-

The blue "pads" are actually insulators that help isolate the rail from the tie to prevent any signal current from causing a short. It's standard practice in the railroad world and there are many variations of insulators depending on the fastener manufacturer, but they all perform the same function.