Re: Indian Pacific Lithgow

[John Duncan McCallum <mccallum@melbpc.org.au>]

Michael Walker wrote:

> >well, you get used to it after a while!! The way things are going, it
> >wouldn't suprise me if they started making plastic rails and sleepers!!!
> >(but I hope not!)
>
> Don't laugh, I haven't heard of plastic rails but I did read (not sure
> whether train mag or newspaper) a while ago of trials by (I think) a
> Melbourne based company in recycling plastic to make sleepers. I don't know
> what ever happened but some of the touted benefits at the time was they were
> cheap to make and didn't have problems with white ants and termites or other
> wood loving insects unlike wooden sleepers.

There is one railway using a trial section of plastic sleepers.

This is the Diamond Valley Railway at Eltham, Vic.
Of course, at 7 1/4 in gauge, it hardly counts as a real railway.
I do not know of any full sized railway using plastic for sleepers.

BTW, it is my opinion that the type of plastic used in the DVR's sleepers is
less than suitable, due to having been made out of a esoteric mixture of
plastic. They also suffer from blow holes.

There is a better quality plastic availble, but as yet, it has not been
trialled.


John McCallum