Please pass on our thanks to the guys who were happy to be filmed carrying out the work, very informative.

Around 7:14 you'll see a little rectangular piece of the mold laying loose near the hole the torch is poked into. That is the diverter plug. it gets dropped in right where the torch was after preheating is done. It will cause the liquid metal to flow to the outer two 'risers' and fill the mold from the bottom, which forces the impurities and slag out the top.

These are the guys that make America work.

Thanks so much for showing this about thermite welding. of rails. Dad and two of his brothers worked on the railroad in Nebraska when they were "young lads. All three moved on to different industries. Dad told me about thermite welding of rails back in my younger days, I'm 83 next week, but I wish I'd listened more carefully and asked a lot of questions. Living from 1899 to 1985, I imagine he did his railroad thing somewhere around the 1920's. There were many fellows on the railroad back then and I'd suppose the same goes now. Sure wish Dad and I could have watched your video together but he passed in 1985. I did see something interesting rail wise though. I worked in another side of the transportation industry, aviation, and was enroute to visit an airport in the Kenosha Wisconsin area and was stopped at a rail crossing, near there, by a train load of continuous rails. The crossing was in the middle of a rather long curve, long enough I couldn't see either end of rails on those cars looked as though the went to each end. Those of you in the rail business might be able to tell just how long they can get to be, and would that thermite process be used to weld those really long sections together in the field when replacing or installing new track? Also is thermite welding used in other industries? I do remember 4 feet 8 ½ inches though.and was it that tunnels had to be 18 feet or was it 23?I didn't get what the fuel was to create that high heat to make the weld happen. It always amazes me the difference between railroading, make it heavier and haul more and (my industry) aviation make it lighter and haul it fast within weight limits, and trucks somewhere in between. Again thanks for the most interesting video - I must subscribe to learn more. Jim Martin in Wisconsin.

you know, actually leveling two sections of rail to eachother where they meet isn't something you really ever think about but it's obviously very important. And any day where you get to use thermite is a good day

The Mt Vesuvius Volcano display is actually the shortest part of the welding. Watching a repair on a main line with time constraints really brings out the skills. Improper preparation can be just as bad as the defect. Proper grinding also is a big factor and don't forget to shovel up the debris as it's a tripping hazard and by your shop a possible fire source. Thanks for today's trackside lesson!

This video left me with more questions in my head in the end than I had at the beginning.

Hi everyone this is a standard weld i used to work for thermite australia over 20 years and done thousands of welds and it is very rewarding job to see it finished

The lateral, right-left, alignment using two spikes - my head exploded! WOW! I learned something today.

I think what stands out most in this video is the commentary on every step of the process! It made me feel like I was watching an educational video on the intricacies of thermite welding from start to finish. So much so in fact that I believe even I can do it! Thank you again for explaining the reasons, tools and need for welding the rails vs simply turning on the camera and expecting us to know what’s going on.

That welder knows his stuff, as a boutet welder myself I can appreciate a man who knows his job.

Working for 32.5 years for a railroad to me this is is sweet memories

I'm a retired electrician and we bonded "grounds" [ copper wire / copper plate splice ] but ours were brass. Basically a controlled explosion. Good video.

My dad did this on the London Underground, this is serious work and these are hard working men!

I would love to have a guy like Tyler working for me. Dude really cares about what he does.

I thought to myself... 20 minutes of watching this, really? Then the video ended and I can't believe how fast it went. Pretty cool stuff! You have some very talented employees!!! Thank you for posting this!

Amazing. I never get tired of this. Ive messed with thermic mixes in the past and the heat that comes from that stuff is insane. Thanks for the video.

I've seen a lot of thermite welding videos, and they are always fascinating, but none of the others showed the leveling part. Thank you.

i have no idea how welding content made it into my YT feed, but I won't say i am unhappy with it. I generally like to know how things are done. God bless you and your work guys.

A great video on thermite welding, I’ve heard of this but until now I have no observed it. Great camera work and thanks to the rail road employees for allowing you to get that close. I now have a lot more confidence in the rail road maintenance process. Thank You

Always a fascinating process. Can you imagine doing a few of these on a 116°-118° Arizona summer day on nearly black old slag ballasted track? Hot on hot on hot! These fellas earn their money. Track workin' ain't easy. Thanks Dave!

The moulds are made from fire clay which is a bonded and fired alumina/silica kaolin mix. The actual thermit mix is (around) 60% iron oxide, 35% aluminium and 5% alloying additions - usually ferro chrome, ferro silicon, ferro molybdenum blended usually in 60 grit grain size. The actual blend varies to match the steel composition of the rail. I worked on the Singapore and Hong Kong railways about forty years ago and the amazing thing is how the kit is basically the same. We’d have loved those hydraulic cutters though - we had 14pound hammers!

One of the most impressive things I've ever seen in my life. Not exaggerating! Very skilled young men. Well trained. No pun intended.

This is just amazing. Thanks so much for posting this. You guys are keeping things moving forward and I find this fascinating!!

Thank you for the thermite track welding video . Never ever got to see this process until now . Very simple idea with fantastic results !

Wow! We can now see the very labor intensive thermite weld. I know they do these on most all railroads and I bet the process is the same - tedious and HOT! I agree with you on younger folks taking to the skilled trades - we shoulld never lose the knowledge and skills involved in maintaining our railways :) The end result looks fantastic :)

Enjoyed this video Immensely, brought back many memories. I worked for Amtrak RR and this process was actually not the first we used to join rails in the field, BUT the more improved one.

Twenty years ago...I was younger and healthy.... Had all my tools and equipment... helpers...I could make most everything.... If you tube like this was around...I could have been something... Good luck youngster s... Keep making stuff...

I am amazed at the amount of knowledge I acquire from watching this channel. I thought I knew a lot about construction and metalworking but I learn something new everytime I come to your channel. Thank you!

Always enjoy the thermite welding process, and it does an amazing job. Thanks Dave!

I did over 300 rail welds without a runout and was the only one in our crew to do that,rail welding and grinding rails was one of my favorite jobs,thankyou for posting,Best wishes to you all from Auckland, New Zealand we had to have at least 3 meters between any 2 welds.

I can keep coming back to this once a month or so and watch it over again. It’s fascinating.

Thank you Dave! That was very interesting, and the finished product looks great! Railroading ain't easy, but it is great to see the young people are willing to do the hard work it takes.

A Very Involved Process. The Class I Railroads make it look so routine but it’s physically demanding. 👍

One of the most interesting/educational videos I've ever seen on KZfaq! Kudos to the guys who performed the work. Dealing with thermite isn't for amateur's!

Practical application of a chemical reaction, always found this process very interesting and followup grinding. Thanks for the video!

As the line from the Polar Express goes: "Hot! Hot! Oh, we got it!" Wonderful view of this heated piece of railroading, Dave!

Thanks for sharing this with us, Dave .. very interesting. I learn something new every time I watch your videos, and I try to watch them all.

Thanks for the great video. I just retired from 20 years at San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit, and I knew that we used thermite welds but I've never seen it done. On the last job I was called into the train control room just before the final bit, so thanks for showing the process from beginning to end.

Great work Tyler !!! As I have said many times to young people, work with your hands and you will always have a job.

Great Video Dave. I have heard of this process but this is the first time I have seen it done. Very fascinating to me I could watch this being done over and over again. lol Learned something else new in this video when you were talking about the different size rails I didn't know that there were different size rails. Love this channel and what you are doing. God Bless!!

It makes a lot of sense to contract out this highly specialized job, but it sure would be awesome to give it a try once! I really like how they cut the molten steel with that hydraulic cutter! The grinding seemed a bit tedious, but the end result was pretty sweet! Thanks Dave!

Thanks for the video and passing on what you all do and how it's done. That is a very important job to keep us and America strong and growing. God Bless you all, Thank you, again.

I could watch these guys doing this for hours !!! As a welding engineer it's the one welding process I've never been asked to work with or approve...

That was super interesting! I think most people don't know how labor intensive something like this really is. Thank you for showing that!

Well done Dave, you’re becoming an old pro. I enjoy the complete process ant thanks for sharing.🚂🚂🚂

Thank you for keeping this country moving Dave! 👍

From someone who's never seen this kinda work before, MAN, THAT IS SO COOL! That railtech machine is awesome!

That was amazing and interesting, thanks for showing us the process.

This was really a top tier railroad video. Fascinating to watch. Great job putting it all together!

I've been fortunate to have had experience in; gas, stick, mig, Tig, and multiple forms of cutting styles but never thermite. It was a cool video and thanks for all the details. At 71 I finally found other than underwater welding a style I've not had an opportunity to do. Again thanks for the posting.

Thanks for all of the “extra” videos of the historical and interesting sites from your home state. Very enjoyable and interesting. I always learn something from each of your videos.

I'm not sure if you guys hear this enough but you should be very proud of what you do. That was awesome to watch. That certainly looks like back breaking work and my guess is you have to do that in all sorts of weather.

Very interesting process. I never worked on the RR, but for a few year's I worked at a shipyard that made barge's and tugboats. I welded for a few year's. The guy's that worked in the side boxes, or any contained area, while welding all day, day after day, sure had it rough. They had exhaust blower's on the manhole, but the smoke was still so thick you could cut it with a knife. It was their job, their livelihood. Thanks, John

I used to work as a taxi driver for Southern Pacific Railroad in west Texas and New Mexico, and in the winter the rails often contracted and broke. I knew they would repair those breaks, but never knew exactly how, so I'm happy to see how it was done.

Those guys work really well together. There is a clear commitment to the quality. Great Video.

Thank you Dave, I have watched thermite weld vids, and yes very frustrating they only show the crucible being fired, so thank you for showing start to finish. Was awesome. And those rail Jacks are a long way from the old days of the big screw bottle Jack's. And i know its a controlled burn but its a little concerning seeing it lit around all that coal. Great great video, thanks again Dave.

drive the moisture off to prevent steam explosions, preheat the weld area, then fire up the crucible

This is great stuff. You men are the backbone to modern society.

Well this looked great! A surprisingly long process. I can only imagine how much work is had to be a century of two ago. Thanks for this video from Finland!

I love watching this, especially when the crew let's you up close to see the process!! The first time I seen this was right after Conrail was formed and the track gangs laid continuous Rail from Anderson Indiana to Elkhart Indiana on the Dow line!! That roadbed pumped mud from the lack of maintenance from the end of the NYC thru Penn Central and the track was nasty, bolts were missing in the fish plates and the trains would slam over those joints!! I hope your Railroad has a safe and prosperous New Year Dave!!!!

That was just so fascinating to watch. I'm surprised by the gap having welded before. But I figure they knew it was enough for the process. Thanks, Dave, for sharing how that is done.

Twin flames! There certainly is a lot to learn about track repair. These guys are amazing. And they make it look easy.

Leared about this in my manufacturing process class, had to look it up just from how cool it sounded. Thanks for the video!

I hope the locomotive operators appreciate the attention to detail, you lined those rails up cleaner than anything I've personally worked on and I've done furniture joinery.

During one of our rail upgrades we had stockpiled a lot of 9030 rail. The welding shop wanted the work, so supply purchased the kits. In order to get a correct mold, etc., we sent the supplier a short rail section. We made a fixture on a building slab where they could align the rail and shoot the weld. So we crop 2 feet off the rail end to make a 74 foot rail. Well, they shoot 3 or 4 and I get a call on the radio to go investigate. All of the shots blew out. We called the company and they sent a representative out. He showed up and told the guys to just go ahead and do their thing and he would watch. When they started to place the sand around the mold, they were moistening it. He told them that was wrong. That corrected the blow out. I noticed your contractors drying out everything because moisture can blow slag everywhere.

That was one of the most interesting videos I have ever seen. The young man who was doing the work seemed quite proficient. thanks for sharing.

Thanks for keeping everyone safe

I watched this being done in Louisville Ky a few years ago and had no clue you could weld a train rail this way. Interesting!

Awesome video man! I've been wanting to see how this works. I'm an engineer (though they still don't let me drive the train) with six P.E. licenses. I'm pretty good with welding. But this is a process I've never done. My uncle Brian used to work for the C&O railroad as a welder. He could weld anything. He did not smoke. But, he died of lung cancer. I think it was from all his RR welding. This process especially. Another buddy of mine, Roy, worked for C&O as well, and did this process. He's OK, but he said there was a lot of smoke and brimstone. I see these guys doing the process, and they don't have a proper respirator. That's not on them....it's on the guys that spec'd the process. Maybe I'm wrong, and I stick and TIG weld without a respirator....but I don't do it day in and day out. I have to worry about these guys doing this work daily. I think they need lung protection. In this video, their end result looked outstanding. A job well done. I just hope they don't wind up like my uncle. I'd be wearing a P-100 paint shop respirator when I did this work...just like when you spray Imron. Better safe than sorry. If I'm wrong, tell me. But my uncle was a good guy and was only about 38 or so when he died of lung cancer and he didn't smoke. So, I think this heavy welding is something to be careful with. Again, great video! I'd like to see it done in person :)

What a slick process. Essentially a portable foundry, forging and machining operation. Very cool.

Thanks for showing us the whole process!

love watching this done by the rail guys... kinda envious of the kit you guys have

I am a man and now retired but liked to work with men on construction sites. Same sort of banter even though I was 40 floors above ground. We are living in a crazy woke world where men get 99% of the work done, crawling around in dangerous places in very hot or very cold conditions. Yet they receive little praise just criticism. These men are doing things that allow us to eat, live in a comfortable home, drive a nice vehicle, work in an office with things delivered because of what these gentlemen are doing.

Such an incredible amount of time, labor and machinery to weld a single joint, amazing

I could watch stuff like this all day it's fascinating

thank you very much dave. really appreciated seeing how this was done all the way thru. very impressive work, the amount of safety that has to happen it's hard to believe no one gets hurt with all the hot molten metal around. how much water did it take to keep the coal spillage from lighting up with all this going on around? also what were the rail level tolerances they really had to adjust alot to get 3D leveled. just when i thought they were good and level they did a bunch more adjusting and it looked like the final level had an upward pitch of 1mm per inch? some sort of rail flex that had to be accounted for when heated up to 500º? tell them guys well done, impressive work i couldn't even tell where the new and the old started and stopped with out the scab down below. they probably left that scab there so it would be easier to find and inspect later? what was the reason for such a short piece needing to be welded in? i saw the bolt holes and was wondering why a short rail wasn't installed to replace. i know there is a reason, i just don't know what it is from what i observed. also that's alot of excess coal spillage, i am surprised there isn't old worn conveyor belting laid down to help collect it. maybe have that historical rail road crew collect it with a small john deere X series tractor with a front end loader and use it for their steamie . mine could write it off as donation plus get some free clean up/maintenance so that debris vacuum isn't needed so much?

Wow, I never knew that thermite welding was that complex and takes as long as it takes. I've seen track rehabilitation work done on the railroad line in my neck of the woods and watched them perform most of that task. (To replace about a mile of track typically took at least a day) The tracks that were being put down to replace the older tracks were preassembled 39' "panels", placed on 50' flatbed cars and brought down to the track bed with a crane. The rails of the old tracks were actually cut with a special saw, then a crane would lift the old tracks onto the flat cars. Then a small bulldozer would push the old track ballast aside, then the newer tracks were placed where the old tracks were and the rail joints were staggered and joined together temporarily with angle bars / fishplates. Then the tracks would be ballasted with pulverized granite, aligned properly and the rails were welded together. The old track ballast was comprised of cinder and slag that was brought in from steel mills in PA, via hopper cars that the B&O Railroad used to ballast the tracks of the Staten Island Railroad with many, many moons ago. Happy New Year.

Whoaaaa, thanks for sharing this. Wonderful job Tyler 🤌😆

Pride in workmanship and attention to detail, well done gentlemen well done indeed.

Observations: On main-line rails, the temperature of the rail should be taken to ensure it is within spec. All of the luting should be cleaned off the weld area for inspection. The weld number and date should be marked on the foot of the weld. All hot debris should be taken to a single place of safety away from the job. All cold debris should be taken away for disposal. The joint area should be packed and ballasted to match running road levels. Only then is the job done! (Nice finish to the rolling surface though 🙂🙂)

Was the rail broke, cracked or damaged that it needed welding?

It blows my mind seeing how much work goes into joining just 2 rails, and then thinking about the thousands and thousands of miles of track to maintain! 🤯

I watched this process being done at some crossing here in Clinton MO, 8/26/22. Needless to say I couldn’t go watch it like you did but because of your excellent camera work and editing I clearly see how it was done. Thank you very much for going to the trouble to make this video. I can go to bed at night and get a good nights sleep, now, knowing how it’s done, no more guessing. Thank you. From Missouri.

0:22 - Setting Crown 1:40 - setting alignment (He should be checking gauge side, not field side.) 2:21- Rectangular left side tool is called a Sheer (Squeezes/Cuts off Excess) Giant thing on the right is a Rail puller (Usually for destressing rail) 2:49- The pot is known as a Crucible, The Thermite powder is Poured into it and later ignited 2:57- you see the other guy with a red brick, known as a Shoe mold. He's filing it due to likely wear, but this also ensure a good seating. 3:00- In goes The thermite into the Crucible 3:40- Tyler- They're made out of a silica based compound, usually with age, you'll find they're easier to grind due to softening. The harder, the more course the silica is. (Also he's adding a paste/mud to seal off any cracks that the molten steel could protrude). 4:51- Sand uses bentonite, which is an absorbent and swelling clay. (Which in this case its said that it's Clay). Clay vs sand can be an argument of what is better. Clay typically can dry and crack, and someone has to stand guard incase any signs of a blow out. Sand can dry out, but can be revived with a little bit of water, and will always hold its form even if left out for a day after it was packed. So here's the part you don't see. There's a tool called a "Gap gauge", a multi use tool that you set in the weld gap and butt the torch saddle against and then anchor it to the rail (usually by a bolt). (the black clamp looking thing with 2 arms coming out of it. Once that is in place. One person will set their mold inside the Shoe jacket. The other person will hold that same shoe up to the rail while the person on the side of origin will take the arm and fasten the bolt in into a valley on the shoe. This holds it firmly against the rail. When the other side goes to be put on, the free shoe gets rubbed/grinded into the other, ensuring that the base of the mold and top of the mold have a good seating all the way around. It is also important to note that these shoes should be sitting straight up and down, prior and post being anchored by the torch saddle arms. The two then pack around the entire weld (ensuring not to get sand/clay INSIDE the casing) which not only prevents the molten steel from pouring out, but also helps insulate the heat. Further on, The Square pans are called slag pans. You normally see some sort of sand in these to help preserve them over time. It catches the impurities/ excess. When you see him heating them with the torch, he is taking the moisture out of them which will prevent any Splattering or popping of the slag which can potentially be dangerous. Once the torch is set on the torch saddle, the flame is set to be in the center of the weld gap. I believe most welders use Oxygen (65lbs) and Propane (14.5-15lbs). You set the flame rich till you hear a crackling, then turn the oxygen up just enough for that crackling to stop. This is the beginning of your Preheat process which takes 5 MINUTES MINIMUM. Your heat soak should go about 10 inches back on each rail reaching 750 degrees externally and 900 degree's internally. Once proper pre-heat is reached, you remove the torch, set the diverter plug in, set the crucible and ignite the thermite. This process should NOT take longer than 30 seconds, as it takes at least 23 seconds for the Thermite to drop from the Crucible filling the weld. After 3 minutes, remove the crucible. After 4 minutes remove the slag pans (Dispose of slag properly and set pans aside to cool, do NOT stack them) After 5 minutes remove the Shoe Jackets and torch saddle. After 6 minutes you should be ready to remove/ break the top part of the molds, revealing the excess steel. If it is still molten, you re seal the mold on top and continue to let cool. When you begin sheering the excess, it's possible that with it leaking out, you can create a heat tear, so you don't want to go full throttle with your sheer all the time. Once sheered, knock off the excess steel or bend it out of the way, profile the top to NEAR finish. Grind the gauge side flush. Rotate to Field side, get it down enough, it's not required to be perfectly flush field side. Rotate back to original position and grind to flush. Fade in the edges of the head of the rail. clean up excess debris and take out any pitting on the edge of the collar on the base, and you're good.

So with all the coal dust in the bedding is there a higher danger of fire?

Great to see I have done this years ago when working on the Hammersley rail line in Western Australia Good job guys

It’s amazing the things they come up with. It’s cool to watch something you wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to watch. Good camera work. Thank you for your camera work 😊😊😊😊

How come women never complain about these types of jobs being male dominated?

This is what was used to bring down the wtc complex.

I like the contraption you use to move the rail and dial it in. Cool stuff

Now that is one hell of an honest job. Great to see it! Thanks!

Keep the smile on your face and happy trails / rails to you

Awesome! Brings back memories of my time being in the Steel Gang at CPR. Thx for sharing.

This entire process is fascinating. Great video! Thanks.

I'm a welder but don't know much on Thermite welding, very interesting. Great Video. Thanks

One of the coolest things I've seen in a while. Thanks for sharing!

My kids enjoyed your video and got to see a practical use for thermite.

Thank you for showing the whole process. I enjoyed it.

I was a volunteer of the incompetent variety at the Hocking Valley Scenic Railroad. Our track had one (1) welded joint. The rest of it was composed of bolted joints every--I dunno--50 feet or so. We had a bolt-tightening machine that looked sort of like a big lawn mower with railroad wheels, and track-bolt duty was one of the simple joys of maintenance-of-way work: just hideous. Ergo, I'm a big fan of continuous rails and thermite. Very fine video.