198 



BULLETIN 111, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Bolts and nuts. — Four bolts and nuts are required at each rail 

 joint. They come in kegs of 200 pounds each. The approximate 

 price at Pacific coast terminal points is $3 per hundredweight, or 

 $6 per keg. With hexagonal nuts, the quantity required per mile, 

 also the cost, is as follows : 



Rail. 



Size of 

 bolts. 



Number 

 in keg. 



Number 



of kegs 



per mile. 



Cost per 

 mile. 



45-pouiid rail 

 50-poimd rail 

 56-pound rail 

 60-pound rail 



Inches. 

 3 byj 

 3ibyf 

 ■ih by f 

 3ibya 



245 

 270 

 270 

 270 



5.2 

 5.7 

 5.7 

 5.7 



$31.00 

 34.00 

 34.00 

 34.00 



Spikes. — Rails are fastened to to the crossties by square spikes, 

 which are usually 5^ inches by 3% inch under the head. Four spikes 

 are driven to each tie, one on each side of the rails. The cost f. o. b. 

 Pacific coast terminal points is approximately $2.50 per hundred- 

 weight, or $5 per keg. There are 400 of these spikes in a keg, and 

 about 29 kegs are required per mile. The cost of spikes per mile of 

 track is about $145. 



Turnouts. — A turnout is a contrivance for passing from one track 

 to another. The principal parts are the switch, the frog, and two 

 guard rails. There are two kinds of switches, stub and split. The 

 split switch is generally used on the logging roads because of its 

 greater safety. A turnout for 60-pound rail, including switch, frog, 

 guard rails, ground throw and rail braces, costs about $100. With a 

 high stand it costs about $10 more. 



STEEL LAYING AND BEMOVAL. 



Laying and removing the rails, as a rule, is done by hand. It is 

 done both by contract and day labor, the latter being by far the more 

 common practice. For several reasons it is not known just what it 

 costs logging operators to lay and lift track. Very few operators 

 keep their accounts in such a way as to make this information avail- 

 able. Then, too, this cost does not always include the same items of 

 expense. Furthermore, conditions, wages, and efficiency of labor, 

 etc., vary. Those desiring to secure a knowledge of cost of this work 

 should familiarize themselves with what is said in connection with 

 common carrier roads, bearing in mind that logging operators gen- 

 erally pay higher wages, secure less efficient help, and seldom work 

 under as favorable conditions. 



Track laying is here considered as the operation of loading the ties, 

 rails, etc., on the cars, unloading this equipment, placing the ties and 

 rails, and curving and jointing the rails. The cost of train service 

 is not included unless it is so specified. 



