The Home Machinist!

If they were man made, you would see chips on the ground. They look more like gopher or porcupine teeth marks to me. Wild animals love the salts that accumulate on aluminum.

_________________
Bruce Mowbray
Springville & Southern RR
TMB Manufacturing & Locomotive Works

Most likely, Beaver, Porcupine, Muskrat, or some such. Doubtfull for squirrel, the marks are too heavy. I think what I see is a small taper across the rail head, that would be typical for animal using the lower jaw to bite with. Animals like beaver have to wear down their teeth, to keep them form curling into their brain, and this may be just that kind of wearing off an individual has learned.

I had a friend that sat in fire towers for days, talking to himself, and gave it up because bears twice vandalized his PU Truck, and he lost 2 sets of tires in three years, to Pocupines who seemed to like to chew the rubber. He hit one on the road killing it, and thought he got even. Well they could not fix the dozen holes in the tire made by the quilles that worked through!

_________________
Big Dave

Be Alert! The world needs more Lerts.

Thanks for all the good input. Unfortunately, I don't think we have any beavers, muskrats or porcupines here in So. Cal. (perhaps over at the zoo - nightly escapes?).

I'm thinking if it was a hacksaw, then the minimum width would be as small as 0.050" and they are all much wider than that. A file would leave a more uniform mark. I will get some high resolution pics this weekend and we can compare them with the bite marks found on this page: http://snailstales.blogspot.com/2008/09 ... -bone.html

thanks,
steve

_________________
12x36 Enco Lathe, 9x42 Bridgeport, SMAW, Victor O/A, Bandsaw, Miller MIG
1.5" Allen Models Consolidation in progress

All Rodents (squirrels, beaver, rat, mouse, rabbit, etc.) have front teeth that grow continuously, and if they aren't kept in check can grow so large as the animal cannot eat, or can even curl around and puncture it's own skull. Hence they chew, and chew, and chew...

The marks on the rails look rodent made to me. What kind of rodent? No clue. If you can't catch the bugger in the act I'd recommend an el-cheapo digital camera attached to an infrared sensor trigger. Which are not uncommon nor expensive thanks to the wildlife photography hobby.

Know thy enemy. Then you can form your battle plans.


One thing's for sure, if one of the buggers found it's a fun thing gnaw on the rails then it'll tell all it's friends and family. Best to nip this in the bud ASAP.


Cheers,

Curtis F.

_________________
16 Years of SolidWorks experience...now I feel old.

Wow, I know i can be wrong.
But i dont see anything else crewed on. but like i said, i have been wrong many times before.

Keep up posted

_________________
If it is not live steam. its not worth it.

Visit my website here.

Chris,

If the aluminum is doing the trick for them they won't chew on anything else. They're creatures of habit worse than human beings. They will return to the same spot time and again so long as they get away with it.

I have seen steel conduit and iron pipe chewed through by rats. Took them months to do it, but you usually don't find out about it till the water leaks or they get through the conduit to the electrical line and blow all the fuses..and themselves.

The power to the town of Oakdale, CA. was once taken out by a squirrel that found the insulation on the power lines at a sub-station did a fine job of wearing down it's teeth. All they found afterward was several blown transformers, a couple years worth of chew marks and a smoldering squirrels tail.


Cheers,

Curtis F.

_________________
16 Years of SolidWorks experience...now I feel old.

We have not had squirls knawing on the track, but one of members was watching a squirl in the top of tree one quiet afternoon, then noticed a red tailed hawk circling over head, and then one quick quite dive form the hawk and the squirl was food. We also get visits form cyotees at night and once in while a brown bear.

Rob

Good point. It just looks like the outside of the marks are pretty straight. Again, a better picture may help. Like someone else suggested, if you could get hold of one of the cameras that is used to watch deer feeders and such would help figure out what it is doing it. Coverting to steel rail would definately make a critter go to the dentist though
Fred

I will get a more detailed picture of the marks.

In the meantime, any suggestions for how to repair?

Suggestions for hard coatings?

Any experience with the ultrasonic repellers (should work on squirrels, rats, beavers?, etc)?

thanks,
steve

_________________
12x36 Enco Lathe, 9x42 Bridgeport, SMAW, Victor O/A, Bandsaw, Miller MIG
1.5" Allen Models Consolidation in progress

I have been to tracks across the country and this problem is unique. I have not seen it at any other track. Having seen the marks in person, they are not hacksaw marks. It is hard to describe, but they are teethmarks, and are spread out along a few hundred feet of track, mostly near the trees. It is an odd feeling to run over these marks, and makes the ride a bit rough. Think of riding over small pebbles on the track.

Anyway, I was going to suggest to Chris this weekend that filling the marks in with an epoxy might help smooth the track out, without having to replace the rail. Not sure if it would last or not, but worth a test section for a year or so. The biggest problem is that the repair is only a fix of the symptom and does not treat the disease.

_________________
Matt Mason
Editor
The Home Railway Journal
www.homerailwayjournal.com

I dont think any filler will stand for long being rolled over with the pressures that exist.

How about doing what full iszed do, and make a jig to lightly grind the railtops back to smoothness. Full sized railroads use rail grinding trains to restore railhead shape, (the hangnail inside) from the constant rolling of the wheels. Used mostly on inside curves and long standing straight aways, it brings track to acceptable gauge and smoothness. It delays rail changouts, and puts a check on crack propagation from the thin, workhard hangnail they remove.

Another thought. Cut a saltblock into 8ths and place a couple some distance form the track, and see if the mineral block has an effect on the knawing. It just may be the critters at large are looking for salts that the rail may taste like. Salt block cheep, rail is expen$ive.

_________________
Big Dave

Be Alert! The world needs more Lerts.

Sorry I have been out of town for a few days. I do believe that it is the squirrels chewing up the rails. This is definetly not man made. My big problem other than how to stop them (still like electifing the rails) how to fix the bad ares. I have thought about TIG but not having access to one makes this a little difficult. I will have to ask around the club and see if someone has one. Does anyone see a problem with this????

_________________
John DeRosa
1" Track Co-Foreman LALS