Our Joints Get Peaked

Rolling along in our trains, you may have noticed the rhythmic “cha-chug” sound that is so idiosyncratic of train rides. But wait, all of a sudden, the ride gets very quiet. Then, once again, the “cha-chug” begins.

That “cha-chug” is the sound of the train traveling over the sections of jointed rail versus the continuous-welded rail where the ride becomes very quiet. When tracks are built, rails come in various lengths, and where those lengths of rail meet there can either be a joint or a weld. The weld is a newer process and one that has been adopted along parts of the high-speed  subdivision.

The rest of the rails have mechanical joints, which are attached together by splice bars and bolts. Some joints have four bolts while others can be found with six. At some point these joints will eventually sag a little further down into the ballast than the rest of the rail. The amount of time it takes before a joint would need to be re-surfaced or “peaked” is dependant on several factors including:

• whether the joint is a four or six bolt (six bolt joints take longer to sag)
• the tonnage that passes over any given section of the track (sidings, for example, last much longer as trains travel over them as a slower speed as well as less frequently)

And once this starts to happen, it’s time to re-surface the joints! In general, the joints need peaking at least once a year.

Either a surfacing machine or a joint peaking machine (which is a smaller version of a surfacing machine) can be used to do the job, which consists of lifting the joint and re-packing the ballast underneath it so that it becomes level. Often, the joints are actually raised a little higher than horizontal, so that once they settle they are perfectly surfaced.

As part of the Capital Investment projects, joint peaking has recently been done around Ottawa station as well in the Beachburg Subdivision… making sure your ride is as smooth and peaceful as possible.

To read more about the tracks projects, please click here.