A portable rail weld milling machine apparatus comprises a metal frame that incorporates a motor with a rotary carbide tool that is able to lock to a rail or rails for stability. The apparatus houses the required guides and motors to maneuver the tool on a plurality of axes with computer numerical control (CNC). The CNC programming is able to control the carbide tool such that the welded rail can be milled to proper profile on the entire running surface, including the top, the field side, and the gauge side of the ball of the rail.

A casting mold (6) consists of two mold halves (4, 5), which are intended for setting up on both sides of the welding groove (3) between two rail ends (1, 2) to be connected, thereby forming a casting space (8) representing a cross-sectional profile of the rails. For sealing the casting space (8) between the rail bodies on both sides of the welding groove (3) and the wall portions (9, 10) of the casting mold (6) that are facing this welding groove, inserted in gaps (11, 12) are strips consisting of a compound at least containing expandable graphite, which as a result of heat being supplied during a preheating process expands and forms a reliable seal. In comparison with using filler sand at this point, there is the advantage that a much smaller quantity of compound has to be carried along when working on the laid track.

Method for the aluminothermic welding of rails, involving the steps of: triggering an aluminothermic reaction in a crucible, pouring the metal resulting from said reaction into the mold so as to fill the molding cavity from the rail flange, after filling the cavity, triggering a second aluminothermic reaction above the rail head, and pouring the metal resulting from said reaction into the cavity in the region of the rail head. The mold used in the method is designed to fit over the ends of two rails to form a molding cavity comprising a crucible positioned above the rail head region so that it can be fed with molten metal of the cavity via a secondary passage.

A stress-relief heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention for stress-relief heat-treating a rail which is welded includes an induction heating coil, and the induction heating coil is arranged at a lateral face of a web of the rail while being separated from a welding center of the rail by 20 mm to 300 mm in a longitudinal direction of the rail. The stress-relief heat treatment apparatus may include a plurality of the induction heating coils, and the induction heating coils may be arranged at both sides of the welding center. The stress-relief heat treatment apparatus may include a plurality of the induction heating coils, an axial direction of the induction heating coil may be vertical to a lateral surface of the rail, and a plurality of the induction heating coils, of which distances from the welding center along the longitudinal direction of the rail are the same, may be arranged to cover a whole circumference of the rail while being separated from each other.

A welding head for welding the extremities of two sections of rail and comprises two half-heads (10) aligned and sliding with regard to one another in a longitudinal direction. Each half-head comprises grip mechanism (12, 13) for grasping a respective section of rail and two electrodes (16) suitable for contact with respective sections of rail in order to carry out a flash butt weld. The head also comprises traction actuator mechanisms (20) which extend in a longitudinal direction and are connected to the two half-heads (10) to shift the two half-heads in a longitudinal direction one towards the other, the traction actuator mechanism (20) having a stroke suitable for allowing, during a cycle of welding two sections of rail, simultaneous regulation of rail tensions.

According to some embodiments, a railcar comprises a well component disposed between a pair of trucks. A pair of end sections are disposed at each end of the railcar. An end section comprises a well platform disposed near an end of the well component; an end platform disposed near an end of the railcar; and a connecting platform extending between the end platform and the well platform. A pair of ladders may be coupled to each end of the end platform. A first handrail may extend between the ladders and along an outside edge of the end platform. A second handrail may extend from a ladder, along an inside edge of the end platform, along an edge of the connecting platform, and along an inside edge of the well platform. A third handrail may extend along an edge of the well platform adjacent to the well component.

According to some embodiments, a railcar comprises a railcar body comprising at least one end or side arranged in a generally vertical plane. The railcar comprises a staggered ladder coupled to the railcar body and extending in a generally vertical direction. The staggered ladder comprises a plurality of steps that are staggered such that at least one step proximate a bottom of the ladder is offset from the generally vertical plane of the railcar body by a greater distance than at least one step proximate a top of the ladder. The railcar further comprises a staggered handrail coupled to the rail car body and proximate the staggered ladder, wherein a bottom portion of the staggered handrail is offset from the vertical plane of the railcar body by a greater distance than a top portion of the staggered handrail.

According to some embodiments, a railcar comprises a pair of trucks disposed near each end of the railcar. A well component supported by the pair of trucks is disposed between the pair of trucks. A pair of end sections are disposed at each end of the railcar. At least one end section of the pair of end sections comprises a well platform disposed near an end of the well. A step is coupled to the well platform and extends into the well component to facilitate operator egress from the well component to the well platform. A handrail is proximate the step, the handrail is sized to accommodate a hand of the operator. The handrail may be positioned above the step and below the well platform.

According to some embodiments, a method of improving weld fatigue performance in a railcar weld comprises identifying a railcar weld subject to dynamic loads; determining the railcar weld is prone to fatigue; applying an impact treatment to the railcar weld using transducer coupled to one or more pins, wherein the one or more pins are configured to contact the railcar weld without interference from other portions of the railcar. According to some embodiments, an impact treatment device for a railcar comprises a transducer coupled to one or more pins for imparting an impact to a railcar weld. The transducer and the one or more pins are configured to put the one or more pins in contact with the railcar weld without interference from other portions of the railcar. The transducer comprises one of an ultrasonic transducer, a piezoelectric transducer, or a pneumatic transducer.

Proposed are the welding conditions under which welds are always stably formed such that the difference in hardness between flash-butt welds and rail base metal and the deflection in a bending test are in better ranges. A plurality of pieces of rail base metal are joined via welds formed by flash-butt welding, where the rail base metal has a chemical composition containing C: 0.60 to 1.20 mass %, Si: 0.10 to 1.50 mass %, Mn: 0.10 to 1.50 mass %, and Cr: 0.10 to 1.50 mass %, with the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities, and the flash-butt welding is performed with an amount of welding heat input of 1.5010.sup.5 kA.sup.2sec or more and 4.5010.sup.5 kA.sup.2sec or less.