Axle Load Limits?

[fuzzybear63]

Anybody know the maximum axle load permissable for a given weight of rail? I know ballast, bridges, sleepers, etc. can lower this, but what is the theoretical/practical maximum for a give weight or standard rail?

 

[smash]

From what I have seen on the net and here it is around 69,000lbs.
This is from memory. Somebody correct me if I am wrong.
Kenny

 

[fuzzybear63]

actually, i meant a formula

so I can figure out a 30 lb rails is X, and an 80 lb rail is X, like that. I may design a layout with different weight rail on different divisions.

 

[bdaneal]

30# = 15,000 lbs per axle
80# = 52,000 lbs per axle
Any others?

Cheers,
Ben

 

[TSwenson]

Rail weight capacity..

Just a quick comment, some lines will have heavier rail based not on capacity but on traffic volume, also remember that some sections of a line will have different rail size, based on the available materials. By the way, yes, you can tell the difference from the cab, usually because of wear on the lighter trackage.