I have a few comp bars available in Dallas, TX area. If interested call me in evening or email me. Offer a fair price.

1 pair 90-112
2 pair 85-115
4 pair 90-115
4 pair 100-112
2 pair 90-110
6 pair 85-100
1 pair 90-100
3 pair 85-90

Harry Nicholls
214-941-9705
h_k__nicholls@peoplepc.com

There are at least two dozen distinctly different 85 pound rail sections and nearly as many diverse designs of 90 pound and 100 pound rails. There are even two different 115 pound rails, although I’d not expect to find much 115 Dudley in Texas. Every railroad’s Chief Engineer figured his personal design was better than the other guy’s. Because of this diversity, one size does NOT fit all.

You might get more interest in your joint bars if you include the rail section designation along with the rail weight. It’s usually indicated by one to four letters after the weight number. Plus, because compromise joints are usually designed to transition from brand new rail on one end to vertically worn rail on the other end, the bars might be marked to indicate the amount of rail wear the joint is designed to match. Including that data will give potential buyers a sense of whether they might still have to do a lot of welding and grinding on their rail ends to result in a smooth joint. The rail drilling pattern the bars are designed to match would also be useful data, although it’s often advisable to crop and redrill old rail at a compromise joint so it stays tight. Also, because the width of the rail head varies between rail designs, the joints will usually have hands, but calling out “left hand” and “right hand” can be confusing. Instead, the bars will be marked “Gage” and “Field”. So, a more certain method of describing the joints you have is to imagine you’re standing in the track, facing the gage side bar, and “read” the joint from left to right. A typical compromise joint described that way might read: “90 RA, worn ¼ inch, 2 ½ - 5 – 5 drilling, to 115 RE, new, 3 ½ -6 – 6 drilling.”

/s/ Larry
Lawrence G. Lovejoy, P.E.

Correction on my email: h_k_nicholls@peoplepc.com (one underline each time, not 2_)

I will have the bars in my possession on Tuesday and will be able to supply the punch and field/gauge, & other details, in a follow-up to all that respond.

Thanks,
Harry

Great description Larry!
Larry and I worked together at an engineering company. Larry was well known as "the expert" in identifying all sorts of oddball rail sizes. I didn't know their was a 115 Dudley section!
I might add to his great description that if you can visualize standing at the comp bars on the biggest rail looking towards the smaller, the left- side pair is the left-hand, the right side the right-hand.
Ned