Thermite Rail Welding. Replacing a Glued insulated joint.

Insulated joints are used to divide tracks into individual sections or "blocks" , for the signalling system , and insulate each block electrically from each other. When I first joined the railways , almost 20 yrs ago, "glued joints" were new , and many of the old "mechanical" insulated joints were still in use, These would wear out and short the track circuits together , and could be a pain to fix! Glued joints are much stronger and last for decades , but need to be welded in , so Thermite welds are often used for this purpose.

[@ARB4957]

I've known about this process for years but have never seen it 'happening, man !' - thank you 🙂

[@FishplateFilms]

Glad you liked it and thanks for watching! Gregg.

[@upsd402]

A amazing video, I wish I could do that with my layout. I remember when they first started doing the thermite welding, it would take half a day to complete (that's what my grandfather said). Now they pull up a truck, and it's done within a short period of time. Thank you for filming . Cheers from Terry in mild Nebraska.

[@FishplateFilms]

Thanks Terry! Yes , it is a lot quicker these days, and has changed even during my time in the rail! A bit more involved and scary than soldering a joint on the layout..LOL Cheers Gregg.

[@SantaFeBob]

Awesome demonstration Gregg. Yes a Pico insulated joiner is not this detailed. Lol Once again, another fun and educational Fishplate Films production. Thank you.

[@FishplateFilms]

Thanks Bob! We do these every month or so and I finally good some decent footage to put a video together. Glad you enjoyed it . Cheers Gregg.

[@richardredcastle7911]

Amazing chemical reaction to get that heat. Thanks for filming it. Surely doing a soldered HO rail joint is similar!

[@FishplateFilms]

Yes it is Richard! Crazy temps going on in that bucket...LOL. Thanks for watching! Gregg.

[@garyquelch888]

Everyone has a set task no procedural issues and a job done and dusted good work boys 👍

[@elsdp-4560]

Thank you for sharing. Never seen this done before, very interesting process. I enjoyed it very much.👍

[@FishplateFilms]

My pleasure! The scary thing is how quickly it gets the powder hot enough to melt the rails!! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching! Gregg.

[@robingagnon9659]

very interesting video, thanks a lot for sharing :)

[@FishplateFilms]

Thank you ! Glad you found it interesting. Gregg 😊

[@Longshadowsmodeltrees]

Great video my friend, that is so cool how that welds the track.....I've watch them do it here. Bob

[@FishplateFilms]

Thanks Bob! It's pretty cool ..or hot actually! The smell is pretty strong and probably not that good for you ..LOL . Take care Sir. Gregg 😊

[@andrewstevenson5449]

Blimey. Not seen anything like that before. Thanks for showing us this, Gregg. Might not complain about soldering HO rail again.

[@FishplateFilms]

My Pleasure Andrew! It is pretty cool to see and yes , a bit more dangerous than a solder joint! Cheers Gregg.

[@hungrybarry]

Good video. Very informative Mr Dardgauge.

[@FishplateFilms]

Thank you Sir!

[@randysrockandrollrailroad8207]

👍🤠👍

[@FishplateFilms]

Thanks Randy!

[@smokeyjoe1034]

I was curious, but at what temperature is that thermite weld burning at? Is the thermite capable of burning through the ballast? Does the weld create any unpleasant odors? Are the fumes that the weld generates safe to inhale? Also, how long does this process take, from start to finish? Cheers, Joe.

[@FishplateFilms]

The reaction burns at 2500 degC (4100 F) and the process takes about 2 hrs from start to finish. It doesn't come in to contact with the ballast Joe. The fumes are strong and I assume not real good for you? We try to stay upwind from it. Cheers Gregg.

[@smokeyjoe1034]

@@FishplateFilms Thank you, Gregg. What do the fumes smell like? Cheers Joe.

[@garyquelch888]

Everyone has a set task no procedural issues and a job done and dusted good work boys 👍

[@FishplateFilms]

Yes , this crew are pretty slick ! If it's quiet and calm, you have a good crew and the job gets done easily! Thanks for watching. Gregg.