Anyone have experience with or a contact for a flat rail car bridge? Looking for something about 50' long near nacogdoches. Culvert crossing not an option due to water flow rates. Needs to support concrete truck.
Post Reply
1 of 1
Looking for a Bridge (Flat rail car)
15,756 Views |
28 Replies |
Last: 8 mo ago by Jabin
A guy sells them outside La Grange on 77. Been there forever but not sure of details.
There is a national outfit that sells them, but Pat Baker Co. in Kingsbury used to be the place to go in central Texas. Nacogdoches might still be in their territory.
I've bought a handful of flat railcars over the last 10 years. We used them as bridges when building roads overseas.
I've used Sterling Rail
You get them in all sorts of shape. They'll require some work since they'll show up rails and tie downs. The expensive part is the transportation getting them to you.
I've used Sterling Rail
You get them in all sorts of shape. They'll require some work since they'll show up rails and tie downs. The expensive part is the transportation getting them to you.
I got a quote from Sterling Rail yesterday and it was $12.5k delivered to Nac from Houston. That sound reasonable? 9x53. That doesn't include the crane or installation. I have a quote from a bridge builder for 17,500 all in for 16x40.
Look into buying a couple of crane timber mats. They will support hellacious loads and will be a lot cheaper than a rail car. Come in lenghts up to 40', maybe more (I've never dealt with anything longer than 40').
schmellba99 said:
Look into buying a couple of crane timber mats. They will support hellacious loads and will be a lot cheaper than a rail car. Come in lenghts up to 40', maybe more (I've never dealt with anything longer than 40').
Are you aware of a source for these?
Fellas,
I gotta ask. I looked at some photos of those locations where flat cars have been installed for bridges.
How the hell do you get those big cranes in (and out) of there? That seems like a challenge in itself.
I gotta ask. I looked at some photos of those locations where flat cars have been installed for bridges.
How the hell do you get those big cranes in (and out) of there? That seems like a challenge in itself.
We put in 2 of these when I was working in Trinity. Not sure where we got the railcars from hut we used a house mover/leveler out of Livingston to put them in place.
Industrial Mat Co is one, ask for Kyle Vardeman.
I have another somewhere, will have to dig in my old files for it tomorrow. Being in east Texas, several places will have them. There is a place off of I-10just outside of Beaumont that sells them too.
I have another somewhere, will have to dig in my old files for it tomorrow. Being in east Texas, several places will have them. There is a place off of I-10just outside of Beaumont that sells them too.
East Texas crane mat availabilitywai3gotgoats said:schmellba99 said:
Look into buying a couple of crane timber mats. They will support hellacious loads and will be a lot cheaper than a rail car. Come in lenghts up to 40', maybe more (I've never dealt with anything longer than 40').
Are you aware of a source for these?
My source for timbers/crane mats is Lone Star Mats. VP is an Ag too.
210-296-6031
210-296-6031
Cody
Fightin Texas Aggie c/o 04
Fightin Texas Aggie c/o 04
Important to note that railroad flat car structures are intended to be supported at the bolster locations (railroad wheels), when most railroad car bridges are build they end up being supported at the ends of the flat car (which yes makes logical sense because you want the longest span). If you support the flat cars in this longer span configuration you have potential to overstress the flatcar because it wasn't intended to be supported like that and increasing the span will exponentially increase the forces in the flatcar.
The images below aren't the best but do show what I'm saying. The 1st has the supports in from the ends (as railroad cars are intended to be configured).
The 2nd image shows how most RR car bridges are supported with an increased span. I could get into lots of detail but just know that there are now stress reversals and you run a risk of over stressing the RR car and failing your bridge
In real life google examples I could find...
Correct RR bridge with intermediate supports:
Well that image doesn't want to show but in this google image link it's the top image with 2 piers at the correct location
Wrong support locations:
To sum up, if you intend to run real loads across these bridges I'd suggest you higher an engineer to run some calculation for you to get you a load rating for your RR flat car bridge and your intended support configuration. I'd offer to help but I'm not licensed in Texas.
The images below aren't the best but do show what I'm saying. The 1st has the supports in from the ends (as railroad cars are intended to be configured).
The 2nd image shows how most RR car bridges are supported with an increased span. I could get into lots of detail but just know that there are now stress reversals and you run a risk of over stressing the RR car and failing your bridge
In real life google examples I could find...
Correct RR bridge with intermediate supports:
Well that image doesn't want to show but in this google image link it's the top image with 2 piers at the correct location
Wrong support locations:
To sum up, if you intend to run real loads across these bridges I'd suggest you higher an engineer to run some calculation for you to get you a load rating for your RR flat car bridge and your intended support configuration. I'd offer to help but I'm not licensed in Texas.
We actually did this calculation at a plant I work at. The main entrance was two railcars laid side by side. We had a 400k lb load we wanted to drive across it. It wasnt going to work so we tore it out and put in a culvert crossing instead. The difficulty in determining the actual load rating had to do with lack of data on the rail cars themselves. No documentation was available to verify the tensile strength of the steel.
You are 100% correct, it is not a trivial task. Lots of retired flat cars are floating around without documentation of section properties and steel properties. We've instrumented some in the past and found they are well below the loads needed for highway traffic. As a State we phase all of these out when we can.
Interesting idea here, I'm a Texas mechanical PE but this isn't my area.
Here is an paper from Iowa DOT on use of these types of bridges. Has some good pictures of proper supports and how they are done. Probably worth looking through.
http://publications.iowa.gov/11691/1/tr421.pdf
Here is an paper from Iowa DOT on use of these types of bridges. Has some good pictures of proper supports and how they are done. Probably worth looking through.
http://publications.iowa.gov/11691/1/tr421.pdf
9x50 seems a bit treacherous. Especially for bigger trucks. I know it's wide enough. Not sure if wise enough though. Unless that's a rare occurrence.
Our set up was two 9x100 ft rail cars laid side by side over an 80ft span. Loaded LPG trucks crossed it everyday. When we were doing our calcs we found that one railcar with up to date certifications was rated for 100k lbs. If installed correctly, (refer to the diagrams above) these railcar bridges can support some serious load.
Ribeye-Rare said:
Fellas,
I gotta ask. I looked at some photos of those locations where flat cars have been installed for bridges.
How the hell do you get those big cranes in (and out) of there? That seems like a challenge in itself.
Rough terrain cranes can go a lot of places, provided you have a clear path.
I'm gonna bump this post because I'm in the same boat as Cadet05 near Nacogdoches. Did you have any luck in your railcar bridge search?
can you provide the builder you used. Thanks, Bob
Not what you asked, but we used a 40' float to span a creek at ranch. Works pretty good for Polaris and CJ's. Wide enough for a full size truck, but don't drive them often at ranch.
My dad used an old trailer park home frame as a walking bridge. He runs a church camp in Robertson County and he had 50 Ags hand carry it down to the lake one day. That was quite a sight!
Nope. Ended up being cheaper to buy a sliver of land from neighbor for access. I still want one for an Atv crossing though!
schmellba99 said:
Industrial Mat Co is one, ask for Kyle Vardeman.
I have another somewhere, will have to dig in my old files for it tomorrow. Being in east Texas, several places will have them. There is a place off of I-10just outside of Beaumont that sells them too.
Any relation to Mark Vardeman?
Cadet05 said:
Nope. Ended up being cheaper to buy a sliver of land from neighbor for access. I still want one for an Atv crossing though!
I am a bridge contractor. PM me I have some used beams that might serve your ATV purpose.
“You can resolve to live your life with integrity. Let your credo be this: Let the lie come into the world, let it even triumph. But not through me.”
- Alexander Solzhenitsyn
- Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Bridge decision time. 30 -40 foot needs to handle pick up and tractor load.
I'll contact above poster but interested in ideas. 6 acres bisected by unnamed creek. H sections, flat car, crane mats? Country property.
I'll contact above poster but interested in ideas. 6 acres bisected by unnamed creek. H sections, flat car, crane mats? Country property.
A guy I know used a slab of prestressed, reinforced concrete that had originally been intended for a parking garage. It was excess to needs so he got it cheap. I think it was 50' or so long.
Bridges are ridiculously expensive.
Bridges are ridiculously expensive.
Featured Stories
See All
2026 Lakewood (CA) tight end Caleb Tafua commits to Texas A&M
by Jason Howell
Presenting Texas Aggies United's 'Battle At Reed' Sweepstakes!
by Texas Aggies United
22:08
1d ago
4.9k
Hefner scores 19 as No. 12 A&M overpowers HCU in Friday matinee
by Olin Buchanan
Ar'maj Reed-Adams announces his return to Texas A&M for 2025
by Richard Zane