Re: Re: Corrugated rail?
  Mal Rowe

On 17/03/2017 6:22 AM,prescottt@... [TramsDownUnder] wrote:
>

> This is a section that I presume has been virtually never been traversed by Hs. While bogie trams so cause corrugations over time, the effect of the Citadis is more immediate and marked I think. That's why they build well-reinforced track for such trams as in Sydney and Gold Coast. Is it the same in Melbourne?

>


Not so much 'well-reinforced' but rather 'flexibly based' so that the rail has a bit of 'give'.

In Melbourne that was initially done with 'rubber boot' on curves - on the same principle as Sydney and Gold Coast but with a different type of 'boot'.
Now it is achieved through crushed rock fill instead of concrete from rail base to just below rail head. Rubber boot is no longer used.

This approach is OK in Melbourne because there is no attempt to insulate the rail from local electrical ground potential.

Mal Rowe - sure that low floor trams with fixed trucks cause more wear on curves, but not sure that they are any worse in producing corrugated rail