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The Philadelphia Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society Established in 1936
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Railfan Pictures of the Day - 08/10/2006
| SEPTA Main Line Carmel Interlocking Glenside PA June 18 2006 |
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During the weekend of June 17 2006, SEPTA continued its cab-signaling march toward Lansdale with a reworking of Carmel Interlocking in Glenside PA. The pictures and the descriptions were provided by Matthew Mitchell of the Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers. Here a high rail dump truck loaded with ballast rolls through the new switch (pictured here a month earlier) just installed north of the station. |
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| The interlocking is crawling with equipment and personnel. At this point they were welding rail. |
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Wanna know how to weld rail? Well, here is a step-by-step .... The crew bolts a mold and brackets to the rails to be welded. The brackets will hold the pot of thermite seen behind the crew. In front of them is a portable rail grinder. The track in the foreground has already been welded. The mold remains on the weld, and a pair of jacks lift the rail off the ties. A finished weld can be seen on the opposite rail, just to the right of the jack. |
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| With the sand mold in place, the crew goes to get the thermite. |
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| Prior to applying the thermite pot, the joint must be prepped. Look closely, and you might see red flames rising from the mold. The yellow 'T' bracketed to the rail between the worker and the mold holds an acetylene torch which is being used to heat the rails before the actual welding begins. |
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| When the rail is hot enough, the crew sets the thermite pot on the brackets, and ignites the mixture of aluminum and iron oxide with the torch (previous pictures of thermite welding here). |
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| More pictures to come ...... |
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All pictures June 18 2006 Copyright © 2006 Matthew Mitchell Photographs for personal use only. All rights reserved by original owner of image. Reproduction or redistribution in any form without express written permission is prohibited. |
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Last Updated August 10, 2006
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