So, after posting the videos of bad track I thought I should post this video. This was made in the UK in 1952 and shows how mainline track should be maintained (and all by hand). It goes for 29mins but is well worth watching if you haven't seen it. If all track was maintained to this standard there would be very few (if any) derailments. This is part 2 related to points (switches) which is also fascinating to watch (20mins) Hope you find these old videos as interesting as I do. I know this is all done by machines now but you have to hand it to those guys back then. Chris
And to think that railways now have all the track maintenance machinery that could only have been dreamed of years ago. There are still many manual jobs involved in track maintenance, but much less hard graft than back then. Keith.
This of course from the days where sections of rail were replaced between trains. It always makes me think of the bit in Night Mail where the gangers are drinking beer on the job.