Railroad Fish Plates and Bad Maintenance

Shown here is a close-up of a four bolt fish plate that is bolted to the rails to join two sections. The holes in the plates are elongated to allow the rails to expand and contract with temperature. A one mile piece will change by about 41 inches. This has to be absorbed somewhere or the system will fail. Note the unattached rail plate with no spike. These plates and spikes keep the rails positioned to the proper gauge (spacing). There are safety margins. But remember, for the want of a nail the shoe was lost, for the want of a shoe the horse was lost. This piece of work is on an active line. Note also the wires that maintain a proper conductivity of electricity across the joint. This section of track has been the site of two major accidents in the last fifty years. Other pictures of Brandtsville are in this collection.