Vertical Railroad Rail

[+Harry Dolphin]

I think that someone asked about a reference to a Vertical Railroad Rail.

LY2296

It seems that some dolphin (better left nameless) went driving off to hunt benchmarks, with the coordinates in the GPS (Also known as Gupy Gap - Gupy the Great and Powerful). But neglected to bring along any printed pages! Discovering this forty miles late! "What do I remember reading about this benchmark?!?" And actually managed to find five of nine!

Dang! I needed six to color Sullivan County red on holograph's maps! Oh, well. Another trip down the road for one more!

The vertical railroad rails seem to have been put out to protect the culverts from road maintaining equipment, and snow plows (though this mark is 2.43 meters below the road surface!) This is the only one I've found so far.

[+shorbird]

I think that someone asked about a reference to a Vertical Railroad Rail.

LY2296

It seems that some dolphin (better left nameless) went driving off to hunt benchmarks, with the coordinates in the GPS (Also known as Gupy Gap - Gupy the Great and Powerful). But neglected to bring along any printed pages! Discovering this forty miles late! "What do I remember reading about this benchmark?!?" And actually managed to find five of nine!

Dang! I needed six to color Sullivan County red on holograph's maps! Oh, well. Another trip down the road for one more!

The vertical railroad rails seem to have been put out to protect the culverts from road maintaining equipment, and snow plows (though this mark is 2.43 meters below the road surface!) This is the only one I've found so far.

 

I have searched for many "vertical rail" benchmarks without success. Many of them have a "monumented" date in the very early twentieth century, and most of the railroad beds where I have looked have been regraded. Glad you were able to find one, Dolphin!

[mloser]

I found this one a while ago...

 

If I hadn't talked to the property owner I would never have been sure it was the proper rail.

 

See KW0599 for more info.

[+Kewaneh & Shark]

There are areas where the railroad company used rail sections as property line markers to identify the limits of their right-of-ways. Because of their stability, I've used them a few times as ties to a nearby survey project. Although I've never found any used as a benchmark, I would imagine that they could be used as one. They are probably every bit as stable as a benchmark set in a concrete post.

Link to BIG PIC

Link to GALLERY

 

- Kewaneh

Edited May 28, 2008 by Kewaneh & Shark

[Bill93]

When used as a horizontal mark/corner is there always a punch mark, or is there some rule of thumb about what spot is measured?

[+Kewaneh & Shark]

When used as a horizontal mark/corner is there always a punch mark, or is there some rule of thumb about what spot is measured?

It's been my experience that the surface of the bottom of the rail, the widest part that sits on the wood ties & ballast, the face where the words "property line" are painted on the image of the rail I posted, is used to identify the right-of-way boundary. I've seen them where that bottom surface faces the right-of-way (placing the rails outside of the right-of-way), and where the surface faces away from the right-of-way (placing the rails inside of the right-of-way). In the image I posted, the bottom surface faces the right-of-way. When used like this, there is no "spot" or "point" that is measured to, as the bottom surface of the rail is used to identify the line. (I should add that most railroads do not mark their right-of-ways in this manner. Of the railroads I've seen using this method, all have been smaller, regional and/or local railroad companies. In fact, most have belonged to one railroad company.)

 

The few rails I've seen, or used, as ties to nearby projects have had punch marks or crosses on them, made by me or others to identify a particular point.

 

- Kewaneh

[mloser]

The one I linked to above said the "highest point of the rail".