CWR in GCT tunnel?

Is the rail in the tunnel to GCT made with continuous welded rail? It seems to me that it is not, based upon the 'clickety-clack' sound I hear every day during my commute.

If not, why not?

Wouldn't this provide for a quieter ride, and higher speeds?

NH Chris

nh chris wrote:Is the rail in the tunnel to GCT made with continuous welded rail? It seems to me that it is not, based upon the 'clickety-clack' sound I hear every day during my commute.

All MNR mainline tracks (except for parts of the Port Jervis and Beacon Lines), including the Park Avenue Tunnel, are CWR. In fact, almost all of the yard tracks are as well. Any clickety-clack you hear is either from passing over a switch frog or from flat spots left over from the slippery rail season.

Every thing south of 59th street is still stick rail.

DutchRailnut wrote:Every thing south of 59th street is still stick rail.

I would be a waste of money to change , and I like to click clack.

As long as we are talking about old rail, you'll notice that many of the stub-end platform tracks are still equipped with wooden-cased third rail that dates from NYC days.

-otto-

Otto Vondrak wrote:As long as we are talking about old rail, you'll notice that many of the stub-end platform tracks are still equipped with wooden-cased third rail that dates from NYC days.

That's being changed. Some tracks have had the old rail removed and replaced with new rail, brackets and the bright orange plastic covers. It is a big terminal and will take time before all the tracks can be upgraded. The M-N Power Dept. is doing the work.

The new third rail(under those orange covers) is no longer made out of steel but is aluminum, with a stainless steel wear surface. It conducts electricity about 3 times better than steel third rail and eliminates transmission losses.

Didn't the NYC start to change out the wooden covers over the third rail to plastic in some locations?

Howiew wrote:Didn't the NYC start to change out the wooden covers over the third rail to plastic in some locations?

The first place (I remember) plastic covers being used was in the Park Avenue tunnel. In the winter, road salt mixed with melting snow to would seep into the tunnel and saturate the wood covers and brackets, starting small electrical fires. They were easy to put out, the rail was just deenergized momentarily.

I just remember riding either the Hudson or Harlem Div. and seeing an occasional plastic cover in some locations.

Some spots in the Bronx along the Harlem-NH line still give off "click-clack" sounds, and not along switches.

probably just from rail burns at stations Jay, there is no more stick rail on MNCR other than Danbury and Waterbury yards and GCT.