,,american ,,society ,,of ,,civil       
,,engineers  ,,instituted #aheb         
,,transactions  ,paper ,no4 #aagg       
,,final ,,report ,,of ,,special         
,,committee ,,on ,,rail ,,sections4,a   
,your ,special ,committee on ,steel     
,rails1 since their appointment in      
#aijb1 have held numerous meetings1 not 
only of their own body1 but also in     
conference with ,committees representing
 other ,societies and the steel rail    
makers4 ,the results of their           
deliberations have been presented to the
 ,society in their reports presented    
on--      ,january  #bast1 #aijc;,b     
#ahth1 #aije             #agth1 #aijf   
#afth1 #aijg     ,july      #ith1 #aijg 
,december  #fth1 #aijg                  
#ahth1 #aijh     ,november #cjth1 #aiji 
,as previously reported to you1 the     
,rail ,committee of the ,american       
,railway ,engineering and ,maintenance  
of ,way ,association is also acting for 
the ,american ,railway ,association2 and
 the latter organization has guaranteed 

to it the necessary funds to make       
exhaustive tests and observations as to 
the wear1 breakage1 etc41 etc41 of steel
 rails4 ,this work is being prosecuted1 
and will of necessity require several   
years4  ,your ,committee feels that it  
has nothing to add to the several       
reports which it has presented to the   
,society1 particularly as1 so far1 the  
several cardinal principles outlined in 
them are being practically followed in  
the several used and proposed           
specifications and rail sections4  ,in  
view of the foregoing1 your ,committee  
would respectfully ask to be discharged 
so that the field may be clear if at any
 future time the ,society should desire 
to again place the subject in the hands 
of a ,committee4                        
,,joseph ,t4 ,,richards1                
,c4 ,w4 ,,buchholz1                     
,e4 ,c4 ,,carter1                       
,s4 ,m4 ,,felton1                       
,,robert ,w4 ,,hunt1                    
,,john ,d4 ,,isaacs1                    

,,richard ,,montfort1                   
,h4 ,g4 ,,prout1                        
,,percival ,,roberts1 ,,jr41            
,,george ,e4 ,,thackray1                
,,edmund ,k4 ,,turner1 ,approved in     
connection with the attached report3    
,,william ,r4 ,,webster4  ,,june1 #aiaj4
                                        
,,philadelphia1 ,,june #a,,st1 #aiaj4   
,i have signed the ,report of the ,a4   
,s4 ,c4 ,e4 ,rail ,committee1--,approved
 in connection with the attached report1
 as ,i feel that the report is too      
condensed1 and assumes that all are     
familiar with the ,rail situation1      
especially what has been done by the    
other ,societies4  ,the work undertaken 
by this ,committee has been delegated by
 ,the ,american ,railway ,association to
 the ,rail ,committee of ,the ,american 
,railway ,engineering and ,maintenance  
of ,way ,association1 and it therefore  
seems appropriate to give the results of
 their work1 up to date1 to our members 
in convenient form for reference1       

especially as our rail specifications   
have not been worked to1 and they have  
offered a better specification that will
 be worked to1 and no doubt largely used
 by the members of this ,society4 ,the  
specification is attached to this       
report4  ,in presenting this            
specification to the ,annual ,meeting at
 ,chicago in ,march last1 the ,committee
 said3,c       ,a new specification     
should not be proposed at this time     
without      careful consideration4 ,so 
far as we know1 no railroad company has 
purchased rails under the specifications
 approved by the ,american      ,railway
 ,association and referred to us2 nor do
 we know of any      railway company    
that has succeeded in buying rails      
during the past      two years according
 to a specification entirely            
satisfactory to the      railroad       
company4 ,we believe that all of the    
specifications under      which rails   
have been rolled have been compromises  
on the part of      both parties1 with  

the general result that neither party is
      entirely satisfied4 ,our          
experience during the year has brought  
to      our attention some defects in   
all of the specifications now before    
us1 and acting under the impression that
 there is a distinct      feeling that  
we should revise our specifications1 we 
offer the      attached specifications  
for your consideration4 ,our            
,association has      no specification  
for ,open-,hearth ,steel ,rails1 and in 
order to      comply with the           
instructions1 a specification for       
,open-,hearth ,steel      ,rails is     
included4       ,we believe it necessary
 to submit a sliding scale for the      
percentages of carbon and phosphorus1   
which provides for increasing      the  
carbon as the phosphorus decreases4 ,the
 fixing of this scale      properly is a
 matter requiring care1 and we admit    
that our      knowledge on the subject  
is limited4 ,the ,american ,railway     
,association specification calls        

attention to this matter in the         
following words3 ',when lower phosphorus
 can be secured1 a proper               
proportionate increase in carbon should 
be made4' ,the amount of      increase  
is not provided for in the              
specifications1 and this      appears to
 us to be necessary in order to secure  
uniformity of      practice2 otherwise1 
the fixing of these percentages becomes 
a      matter of special arrangement4   
,bessemer rails are being furnished     
regularly with phosphorus under the     
maximum allowed1 and where this      is 
done1 the carbon should be raised above 
the higher limit now      fixed in our  
specifications1 or a soft and poor      
wearing rail will      result2 yet this 
condition has not been fully guarded    
against in      rails furnished under   
existing specifications4 ,the lower and 
upper      limits for carbon have       
heretofore been fixed with the intention
      that the mills furnish rails with 
a composition as near between the       

two limits as possible4 ,the mills1     
however1 in order to meet the           
prescribed drop tests with the least    
difficulty1 keep both the      carbon   
and manganese as nearly as possible to  
the lower limits1      with the         
corresponding result that a generally   
poor-wearing rail is      furnished4    
,some roads have prescribed the limits  
of deflection to be allowed      under  
the drop test4 ,with our present        
knowledge1 we believe that we           
should fix a minimum deflection to      
eliminate brittle rails and to          
secure greater uniformity of product2   
also maximum deflection to              
eliminate soft rails4 ,we are not able  
at the present time to fix      these   
limits1 but our ultimate object will be 
to determine and fix      such limits   
for the specifications4       ,with     
reference to the amount of discard1 time
 of holding in ladle1      size of      
nozzles1 and other such details of      
manufacture or      machinery1 we are of

 the opinion that the physical and      
chemical      tests required should be  
prescribed1 and that we should see that 
the material submitted for acceptance   
meets the prescribed tests4      ,we    
should not dictate to the manufacturers 
the amount of crop which      shall be  
removed from the top of the ingot1 as   
this should vary      with the care and 
time consumed at the various mills4 ,the
 railroads      should not be asked to  
take anything but sound material in     
their      rails4 ,the mills can furnish
 such sound material if the proper care 
and sufficient time are taken in the    
making of the ingots4      ,information 
derived from the tests being made at the
 ,watertown      ,arsenal shows         
definitely that sound rails cannot be   
made from      unsound ingots1 and that1
 therefore1 the prime requisite in      
securing a sound rail is to first secure
 the sound ingot4       ,we recommend   
that the present ,specifications for    
,steel ,rails be      withdrawn from the

 ,manual of ,recommended ,practice of   
the      ,association1 as no longer     
representing the current state of the   
art4       ,we submit herewith1 as      
,appendix ',a1' a form for              
specifications4 ,it      will have to be
 amended from time to time as we receive
 further      information on the        
subject4  ,the specifications referred  
to above were modified and presented at 
the ,meeting in ,supplement to ,bulletin
 ,no4 #aba1 of ,march1 #aiaj1 and in    
this final form are attached hereto4    
,these specifications do not represent  
the work of any one ,society or the work
 of any one ,committee1 but are the     
result of all the work of the different 
,societies1 as the members of all are so
 interwoven that whatever work is done  
in any one ,society1 or by the          
,committee of a ,society1 has very      
naturally and fortunately been carried  
into the others4  ,at the ,chicago      
,meeting these specifications were      
accepted without a single change1 and   

this is very unusual and shows how      
generally acceptable they were1 as the  
members of all ,rail ,committees were   
present at the ,meeting4 ,the main      
points in this specification were       
discussed and agreed upon by the members
 of the ,committee and the ,rail        
,committee of the manufacturers who have
 co-operated with them in this work4    
,in the matter of ,rail ,sections1 the  
,rail ,committee of ,the ,american      
,railway ,engineering and ,maintenance  
of ,way ,association has not arrived at 
any definite conclusions4 ,the new      
sections ,a and ,b of ,the ,american    
,railway ,association have not given as 
good results as was expected of them1   
and the whole matter is yet under       
consideration4 ,the ,committee reported 
as follows3,d       ,the instructions of
 the ,american ,railway ,association    
require us to      study the ,a4 ,r4 ,a4
 sections ',a' and ',b' in use and      
submit a single      type for standard4 
,owing to the conditions existing in    

#aijh1 very      little rail was laid1  
and practically none of the ,a4 ,r4 ,a4 
sections1 in such manner as to give the 
needed information4 ,this      year1    
several roads have laid ,a4 ,r4 ,a4     
sections of rail1 with a      view of   
determining the relative merits of the  
respective sections4      ,these rails  
have been in the track so short a time  
that we are not      justified in       
drawing any conclusions as to which of  
the ,a4 ,r4 ,a4      types1 ',a' or     
',b1' or if either1 is better than the  
,a4 ,s4 ,c4 ,e4      sections4          
,bulletin ,no4 #aaf1 issued ,october1   
#aiji1 gives the statistics for         
rail failures for six months from       
,october #ca1 #aijh1 to ,april #cj1     
#aiji1 as reported to the ,committee4   
,these statistics do show that      the 
difference in section can be entirely   
annihilated by difference      in       
chemical composition and by the         
treatment in furnace and mill4          
,the results so far obtained from the   

heavy base ,a4 ,r4 ,a4 sections      are
 disappointing1 as we have received some
 rail from the mills of      the new    
section which was as bad as we did with 
the old      ,a4 ,s4 ,c4 ,e4 section1   
showing that the quality of the rail    
does not      depend entirely upon the  
section4       ,the tests to be         
inaugurated by the ,committee1 combined 
with the      results of the tests at   
,watertown and the performance of the   
rail      in the track1 will give us    
valuable data to aid us in coming to a  
final conclusion4  ,a careful study of  
the results already obtained1 on both   
,bessemer and open-hearth steel rails1  
indicates that the next necessary step  
will be the use of a much heavier rail1 
and ,i think the sooner this is admitted
 and trial lots of say #a1jjj tons each 
of #aaj-lb41 #abj-lb4 and #acj-lb4 rails
 rolled1 of ,bessemer and open-hearth   
steel1 and put in service under the most
 severe conditions1 the sooner we will  
get rid of the present difficulties with

 our rails4  ,,wm4 ,r4 ,,webster4       
,,specifications ,,for ,,steel          
,,rails4,e  ,sidenote3 ,process of      
manufacture4      #a4 ,the entire       
process of manufacture shall be in      
accordance with     the best current    
state of the art4      7a7 ,ingots shall
 be kept in a vertical position until   
ready to be     rolled1 or until the    
metal in the interior has had time to   
solidify4      7b7 ,bled ingots shall   
not be used4  ,sidenote3 ,chemical      
composition4      #b4 ,the chemical     
composition of the steel from which the 
rails are     rolled shall be within the
 following limits3                      
,,bessemer4       ,,open-,,hearth4      
----------------------------------------
--------------                  #gj lbs4
 and                #gj lbs4 and        
over1 but   #he to #ajj lbs4 over1 but  
#he to #ajj lbs4                  under 
#he lbs4  inclusive4  under #he lbs4    
inclusive4                              
----------------------------------------

------------------------------- ,carbon 
#j4dj to #j4ej #j4de to #j4ee  #j4ec to 
#j4ff #j4fc to #j4gf ,manganese         
#j4hj to #a4aj #j4hj to #a4aj  #j4gj to 
#a4jj #j4gj to #a4jj ,silicon           
#j4jg to #j4bj #j4jg to #j4bj  #j4jg to 
#j4bj #j4jg to #j4bj ,phosphorus1       
not to exceed         #j4aj             
#j4aj          #j4jd         #j4jd      
,sulphur1                               
not to exceed         #j4jge            
#j4jge         #j4jf         #j4jf      
#c4 ,when the average phosphorus content
 of the ingot metal used in     the     
,bessemer ,process at any mill is below 
#j4jh and in the     ,open-,hearth      
,process is below #j4jc1 the carbon     
shall be increased at     the rate of   
#j4jce for each #j4ja that the          
phosphorus content of the     ingot     
metal used averages below #j4jh for     
,bessemer steel1 or #j4jc for           
,open-,hearth steel4      ,the          
percentage of carbon in an entire order 
of rails shall average     as high as   

the mean percentage between the upper   
and lower limits4  ,sidenote3 ,shearing4
      #d4 ,the end of the bloom formed  
from the top of the ingot shall be      
sheared until the entire face shows     
sound metal4      ,all metal from the   
top of the ingot1 whether made from the 
bloom or     the rail1 is the top       
discard4  ,sidenote3 ,shrink      #e4   
,the number of passes and speed of train
 shall be so regulated     that1 on     
leaving the rolls at the final pass1 the
 temperature of the     rails will not  
exceed that which requires a shrinkage  
allowance at     the hot saws1 for a    
#cc-;ft4 rail of #ajj lb4 section1 of   
#f-a_/b in4 for     thick base sections 
and #f-c_/d in4 for ,a4 ,s4 ,,cc4 ,e4   
sections1 and #a_/h     in4 less for    
each ten pounds decrease of section1    
these allowances     to be decreased at 
the rate of #a-ajj in4 for each second  
of time     elapsed between the rail    
leaving the finishing rolls and being   
sawed4      ,the bars shall not be held 

for the purpose of reducing their       
temperature1 nor shall any artificial   
means of cooling them be used           
between the leading and finishing       
passes1 nor after they leave the        
finishing pass4  ,sidenote3 ,section    
#f4 ,the section of rail shall conform  
as accurately as possible to     the    
templet furnished by the ,railroad      
,company4 ,a variation in height     of 
#a-fd in4 less or #a-cb in4 greater than
 the specified height1 and     #a-af in4
 in width of flange1 will be permitted2 
but no variations     shall be allowed  
in the dimensions affecting the fit of  
splice bars4  ,sidenote3 ,weight        
#g4 ,the weight of the rail shall be    
maintained as nearly as     possible1   
after complying with the preceding      
paragraph1 to that     specified in the 
contract4      ,a variation of one-half 
of one per cent4 from the calculated    
weight     of section1 as applied to an 
entire order1 will be allowed4          
,rails will be accepted and paid for    

according to actual weight4  ,sidenote3 
,length      #h4 ,the standard length of
 rail shall be #cc ft4      ,ten per    
cent4 of the entire order will be       
accepted in shorter     lengths varying 
by #a ft4 from #cb ft4 to #be ft4       
,a variation of #a_/d in4 from the      
specified lengths will be allowed4      
,all ,no4 #a rails less than #cc ft4    
shall be painted green on both     ends4
  ,sidenote3 ,finishing      #i4 ,care  
shall be taken in hot-straightening     
rails1 and it shall     result in their 
being left in such condition that they  
will not vary     throughout their      
entire length more than four 7#d7 in4   
from a     straight line in any         
direction for thick base sections1 and  
#e in4     for ,a4 ,s4 ,c4 ,e4 sections 
when delivered to the cold-straightening
     presses4 ,those which vary beyond  
that amount1 or have short kinks1       
shall be classed as second quality rails
 and be so marked4      ,the distance   
between supports of rails in the        

straightening press     shall not be    
less than forty-two 7#db7 in42 supports 
to have flat     surfaces and out of    
wind4 ,rails shall be straight in line  
and     surface and smooth on head when 
finished1 final straightening being     
done while cold4      ,they shall be    
sawed square at ends1 variations to be  
not more than     #a-cb in41 and prior  
to shipment shall have the burr caused  
by the     saw cutting removed and the  
ends made clean4  ,sidenote3 ,drilling  
#aj4 ,circular holes for joint bolts    
shall be drilled in accordance     with 
specifications of the purchaser4 ,they  
shall in every respect     conform      
accurately to drawing and dimensions    
furnished and shall be     free from    
burrs4  ,sidenote3 ,branding      #aa4  
,the name of the manufacturer1 the      
weight of the rail1 and the     month   
and year of manufacture shall be rolled 
in raised letters and     figures on the
 side of the web4 ,the number of the    
heat and a letter     indicating the    

portion of the ingot from which the rail
 was made     shall be plainly stamped  
on the web of each rail1 where it will  
not     be covered by the splice bars4  
,rails to be lettered consecutively ,a1 
,b1 ,c1 etc41 the rail from the top of  
the ingot being ,a4 ,in case of a       
top discard of twenty or more per cent4 
the letter ,a will be     omitted4      
,open-,hearth rails to be branded or    
stamped ,o4 ,h4 ,all     marking of     
rails shall be done so effectively that 
the marks may be     read as long as the
 rails are in service4  ,sidenote3 ,drop
 testing4      #ab4 7a7 ,drop tests     
shall be made on pieces of rail rolled  
from     the top of the ingot1 not less 
than four 7#d7 ft4 and not more than    
six 7#f7 ft4 long1 from each heat of    
steel4 ,these test pieces shall     be  
cut from the rail bar next to either end
 of the top rail1 as     selected by the
 ,inspector4      ,the temperature of   
the test pieces shall be between forty  
7#dj7 and     one hundred 7#ajj7 degrees

 ,fahrenheit4      ,the test pieces     
shall be placed head upward on solid    
supports1 five     7#e7 in4 top radius1 
three 7#c7 ft4 between centers1 and     
subjected to     impact tests1 the tup  
falling free from the following heights3
      #gj lb4 rail                #af   
ft4     #hj1 #he and #ij lb4 rail       
#ah ft4     #ajj lb4 rail               
#bj ft4      ,the test pieces which do  
not break under the first drop shall be 
nicked and tested to destruction4       
7b7 7,it is proposed to prescribe1 under
 this paragraph1 the     requirements in
 regard to deflection1 fixing maximum   
and minimum     limits1 as soon as      
proper deflection limits have been      
decided upon47  ,sidenote3 ,tests4      
#ac4 7,a7 ,two pieces shall be tested   
from each heat of steel4 ,if     either 
of these test pieces breaks1 a third    
piece shall be tested4     ,if two of   
the test pieces break without showing   
physical defect1 all     rails of the   
heat will be rejected absolutely4 ,if   

two of the test     pieces do not break1
 all rails of the heat will be accepted 
as ,no4 #a     or ,no4 #b classification
 7according as the deflection is less or
     more1 respectively1 than the       
prescribed limit,a74      7,b7 ,if1     
however1 any test piece broken under    
test ,a shows physical     defect1 the  
top rail from each ingot of that heat   
shall be rejected4      7,c7 ,additional
 tests shall then be made of test pieces
 selected by     the ,inspector from the
 top end of any second rails of the same
 heat4     ,if two out of three of these
 second test pieces break1 the remainder
     of the rails of the heat will also 
be rejected4 ,if two out of three     of
 these second test pieces do not break1 
the remainder of the rails     of the   
heat will be accepted1 provided they    
conform to the other     requirements of
 these specifications1 as ,no4 #a or    
,no4 #b     classification 7according as
 the deflection is less or more1        
respectively1 than the prescribed       

limit,f74      7,d7 ,if any test piece1 
test ,a1 does not break1 but when nicked
 and     tested to destruction shows    
interior defect1 the top rails from each
     ingot of that heat shall be        
rejected4  ,sidenote3 ,drop testing     
machine4      #ad4 ,the drop-testing    
machine shall be the standard of the    
,american     ,railway ,engineering and 
,maintenance of ,way ,association1 and  
have a     tup of #b1jjj lbs4 weight1   
the striking face of which shall have a 
radius of five 7#e7 in4      ,the anvil 
block shall be adequately supported and 
shall weigh     #bj1jjj lbs4      ,the  
supports shall be a part of or firmly   
secured to the anvil4  ,sidenote3 ,no4  
#a ,rails4      #ae4 ,no4 #a rails shall
 be free from injurious defects and     
flaws of     all kinds4  ,sidenote3 ,no4
 #b ,rails4      #af4 ,rails which1 by  
reason of surface imperfections1 are not
     accepted as ,no4 #a rails1 will be 
classed as ,no4 #b rails1 but rails     
containing physical defects which impair

 their strength1 shall be     rejected4 
,no4 #b rails to the extent of five 7#e7
 per cent4 of the whole order     will  
be received4 ,all rails accepted as ,no4
 #b rails shall have the     ends       
painted white1 and shall have two prick 
punch marks on the side     of the web  
near the heat number near the end of the
 rail1 so placed     as not to be       
covered by the splice bars4      ,rails 
improperly drilled1 straightened1 or    
from which the burrs     have not been  
properly removed1 shall be rejected1 but
 may be     accepted after being        
properly finished4      ,different      
classes of rails shall be kept separate 
in shipment4      ,all rails shall be   
loaded in the presence of the inspector4
  ,sidenote3 ,inspection4      #ag4 7a7 
,inspectors representing the purchaser  
shall have free     entry to the works  
of the ,manufacturer at all times while 
the     contract is being executed1 and 
shall have all reasonable facilities    
afforded them by the ,manufacturer to   

satisfy them that the rails     have    
been made in accordance with the terms  
of the specifications4      7b7 ,for    
,bessemer ,steel the ,manufacturer      
shall1 before the rails     are shipped1
 furnish the ,inspector daily with      
carbon determinations     for each heat1
 and two complete chemical analyses     
every twenty-four     hours representing
 the average of the other elements      
specified in     section #b hereof      
contained in the steel1 for each day and
 night turn     respectively4 ,these    
analyses shall be made on drillings     
taken from     the ladle test ingot not 
less than #a_/d in4 beneath the surface4
      ,for ,open-,hearth ,steel1 the    
makers shall furnish the ,inspectors    
with     a complete chemical analysis of
 the elements specified in section #b   
hereof for each melt4      7c7 ,on      
request of the ,inspector1 the          
,manufacturer shall furnish             
drillings from the test ingot for check 
analysis4      7d7 ,all tests and       

inspections shall be made at the place  
of     manufacture1 prior to shipment1  
and shall be so conducted as not to     
unnecessarily interfere with the        
operation of the mill4   ,,footnotes3   
,footnote ,a3 ,presented to the ,annual 
,convention1 ,june #bast1 #aiaj4        
,footnote ,b3 ,these reports were       
published in ,proceedings1 ,am4 ,soc4   
,c4 ,e41 as follows3 ,february1 #aijc1  
p4 #dc2 ,february1 #aije1 p4 #fj3       
,february1 #aijf1 p4 #ej2 ,february1    
#aijg1 p4 #fi2 ,august1 #aijg1 p4 #bij2 
,february1 #aijh1 p4 #he2 ,february1    
#aiji1 p4 #fa2 ,february1 #aiaj1 p4 #fb4
  ,footnote ,c3 ,bulletin ,no4 #aah1    
,december1 #aiji4  ,footnote ,d3        
,bulletin ,no4 #aah4 ,december1 #aiji4  
,footnote ,e3 ,reprinted from           
,supplement to ,bulletin ,no4 #aba of   
the ,american ,railway ,engineering and 
,maintenance of ,way ,association       
7,march1 #aiaj74  ,footnote ,f3 ,note3  
,the clause in brackets in ,sections ,a 
and ,c to be added to the specifications

 when the deflection limits are         
specified4