After working with infrastructure for over a decade, I have seen many tough characters who can handle everything from tens of tons of steel beams to hard concrete blocks. I thought they were strong enough, but recently I chatted with the old foreman and realized that the pile of black wood under the railway tracks is the real king of flat rolling.
Don't believe me, let's talk about the unmodified pine wood first, where does it score. If you put it in your dry yard, it can indeed last for five or six years, after all, there is not much pressure and not so much moisture. But what if we throw it into the hellish environment of the railway? That's a typical greenhouse fresh meat, exposed to the wind, rain, and sun, and has to bear dozens of tons of pressure every day. In less than two years, the surface is soft and can be easily removed with a single pick. If you're unlucky, you can even grow small mushrooms from the cracks. Termites passing by have to stop and rub their hands. Isn't this the self-service buffet that comes knocking at your door? If this thing is directly laid on the railway, the consequences are unimaginable. In less than three years, half of it will probably rot into mud, and the railway won't be able to operate anymore?
But if you give it a bath with anti-corrosion oil, it's completely different. Speaking of the process, it's not too complicated. Just clean the pine wood, soak it in anti-corrosion oil, and apply some pressure to let the oil seep into the wood - it's not the kind of surface finishing, it really seeps into the wood bones, and the oil immersion depth often reaches 13mm or more. Oh, by the way, this is just the minimum standard. If you go to the humid mountainous areas in the south, the factory will make the depth even deeper, so don't worry that this depth is not enough. In just one moment, the pine wood underwent a complete transformation, with its originally light yellow color turning into a dark appearance. It felt smooth and shiny to the touch, as if it was wearing a tight armor.
Don't underestimate this armor layer. The railway environment is the hellish difficulty of wood. In the scorching summer, the surface temperature next to the railway tracks can soar to 50-60 degrees Celsius, and the wood is almost baked out of oil; In winter, the temperature drops to minus 20-30 degrees Celsius, freezing hard and causing back and forth thermal expansion and contraction; During the rainy season, the entire sleeper was soaked in mud and water, leaving no dry spot; Not to mention the dozens of tons of trains that pass by every day with clanging vibrations. If it were ordinary pine wood, it would already be unable to withstand cracking, either rotting or being bitten by insects.
But what about this pine wood with oil armor? It just lies there quietly, no matter how you make it. Water cannot enter, so it will not get damp or rot at all, and those fungi that want to cause trouble have nowhere to settle; Do insects want to take a bite? My mouth is full of oily smell, and I just "yue" turned my head and ran away. This is not wood, it's a stubborn obstacle to discourage Buff. Oh, by the way, don't think pine wood is soft. Its softness is not useless, it has good toughness. When a train comes over, it can slightly cushion the vibration, unlike hard hardwood or concrete, which can make the entire track clang. It can also protect the underlying ballast and reduce wear and tear, which is incomparable to hardwood.
The most outrageous thing is the contrast in lifespan. Ordinary pine sleepers, in the environment of railways, can last for four or five years before they need to be completely replaced, making maintenance expensive and laborious. But what about this oil soaked one? Easy to use for more than ten years, if well maintained, it can last for twenty to thirty years without any problems. It's equivalent to carrying five or six sticks with one stick, and the cost of the entire life cycle can be directly reduced by half. How can this deal be calculated and how can it be earned.
Some people say that concrete sleepers are used now, but these wooden sleepers are outdated? That's not right. Concrete sleepers are useful, but they are heavy. It's not easy to transport them in mountainous areas, and the shock absorption is poor. Trains make a lot of noise when running, and there are also temporary railways in old lines and mining areas. Oil immersed sleepers are lightweight, easy to maintain, and can be recycled after use. They are much more flexible than concrete.
When others lie flat, it's a mess, but when it lies flat, it's durable. It hasn't moved for decades, carrying one train after another roaring by. Isn't this the most durable lying athlete on the railway?
