Modeling "rock fences"

NW Modeling List nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org
Sun Feb 10 09:03:14 EST 2008


Here's a few interesting tidbits about "Slide Fences", as I have been trained to call them.

Most of the rails are connected to a base rail that is buried in the ground. There are rail joints just above ground level with shear bolts in them that will allow the bolts to break off without pulling the base out of the ground in the event of a rock slide. This makes for a quick repair to the fence.

If a rock so much as strikes the fence, it will drop a trigger circuit on a vertically mounted switch circuit controller. This will automatically give the dispatcher a red track circuit in that block, and the signals facing into that block will drop to red, either giving a stop or restricting, depending on the signal type.

When this happens, the good ol' Signal Maintainer gets a call, even if its in the middle of the night, to go and check out the "Red track circuit". If there was no damage, the maintainer will reset the circuit controller, and all is well. But sometimes, the slide can be significant. One maintainer told me of one time he was checking out a red track circuit and came upon a boulder the size of a sherman tank in the tracks. Of course, then he'd have to call someone else to fix that kind of problem!

I have included a photo of a trigger mechanism and a slide fence joint, taken on the old N&W on the Pokey. If I were modeling one, I would include these items, but that's because I'm a signal nut as you all know!

Ben Blevins


NW Modeling List <nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
.hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma } On the Chicagoland version of the Pokey we use hardware cloth soldered to lenghts of rail.

You cut your rail to 39' scale feet and bury about 4' or so in your scenery!! Why 39' that what the N&W did!!

We spray painted it with a rusty brown and it does look great! Remeber to bend the rail at the top a bit. We just eyeballed it. It is easy to bend using a rail nipper on just the head and web leaving the base of the rail intact.

This method is a close approximation based on our feild trips!

Mike Ritschdorff and BJ Kaspar


> Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2008 19:06:45 -0500

> To: nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org

> Subject: Modeling "rock fences"

> From: nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org

>

>

> Howdy,

>

> I am trying to find a suitable material for modeling the rock fences that one sees along sections of rail road that are in close proximity to cliff faces . I have taken dozens of photos of these fences and the only detail I can't model is the fence itself. If anyone has found a suitable material for doing this type of fence I would appreciate knowing how you did it.

>

> Thanks,

>

> Ken McWilliams

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