ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[ijmorlan]

Question about welding where there was a gap: for welding, wouldn’t the two pieces of rail need to touch each other? So how does the gap get filled? Does the welding actually fill the gap, or do they pull the rails together, or something else entirely?

I'm under the impression, from my admittedly amateur understanding of how welding works, and from videos I've seen, that the weld will bridge some gap, possibly a gap is even necessary.  The process of welding actually adds material.  In more traditional welding there is a steel rod as the added material, but in thermite welding, I believe the added iron material is a product of the thermite reaction which also produces the heat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNBDWuWz9ZE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exothermic_welding

Thanks for the info, especially the video, which seems to make it clear that they do indeed fill a gap. They even had a calibration tool to ensure they left exactly the right gap. I had been under the impression that welding primarily meant heating up the two parts until they softened enough to merge upon being pressed together but that is apparently not the case.

[ert86]

After what feels like forever ago the tent at Fairview is finally coming down

[Coke6pk]

After what feels like forever ago the tent at Fairview is finally coming down

And the ion logo goes up!

   

Coke

[Canard]

The very first!!

          x1billion

[Canard]

OMG SO much relief it is left justified, you have no idea

[Viewfromthe42]

I still can't unsee the elephant sucking in a $20 bill haha, even as the staunchest LRT supporter. At least the elephant isn't white.

[SammyOES2]

Hah, now I can't either!

[Square]

Does it change color when a train is getting closer?, oh, ya, never mind, lol

[KevinL]

Note: this logo is on the drivers' building, not the feature wall.

[Pheidippides]

Wasn't there a time lapse camera on-top of the pharmacy building or nearby that was recording the progress at the King underpass @ Victoria?

Did that footage ever get released?
Is the camera still rolling?

[Canard]

I would think they'd wait until it's 100% complete before releasing (rather than release 90% and then... re-release when it's 100% complete).

1/4 - Sunday, March 19, 2017

   
Progress at Frederick.

   
Close-up of the not-yet-welded temporary fixing between two rail segments.

   
Lots of rebar for that half-wall on the backside of the platform.  Love the features added to the forms to indent the concrete!

   
Transit Hub stop.

   
Rails just roughed in, here.

[Canard]

2/4 - Sunday, March 19, 2017

   
Mike Boos pointed out that it looks like there's going to be a very wide MUT on the sides through here.

   
Crossover at Cameron Heights, on Charles.

   
The crossover is set up as trailing-point, meaning if a train wants to get on the "other" track, it has to pass the crossover, then reverse through it. This makes it safer, because in the event of a switch failure you'll never have a condition that could lead to a head-on crash.

With that in mind, the lamps at the left are for a train on the left tracks, about to move through the first switch ("facing point"). "|" means the switch is set straight, "/" means it's set to the right, and "-" means it's not safe to proceed (either because the switch is moving, or there's a fault).

The lamps on the right are simply indicate that the trailing-point switch it is about to move through is either clear ("|") or not clear/set the other way ("-").

   
Looking down Charles, toward Stirling.

   
Finished OCS on Borden!

[Canard]

3/4 - Sunday, March 19, 2017

   
Bottom end of Borden, where the tracks meet the Huron Spur.  See those signs on the right?  Will get to those in a moment...

   
Close up of some of the hardware to hold the contact wire in place through a curve.

The little "kinked" arms down below are called registration arms. They allow some vertical movement but no lateral movement, when the train passes under.

   
Lots of clamps and insulation and so on up top, for the messenger wire.

   
The contact wire actually isn't a "wire" - it's a copper profile with a dovetail in the top, that these clamps can clip on to!

   
Looking back up Borden, toward Courtland.  (Hi, ballast cars!)

[Canard]

4/4 - Sunday, March 19, 2017

   
...there's that "trail".  I guess it's trafficked enough that a sign warning the LRV operators to be cautious was necessary.  Funny how they noticed this one (and signed it), but missed Traynor...

   
Crossing arms at Waterloo Town Square.

   
Catpoles in place now through here, too.

   
I just noticed that the stubby arm on the right is actually too short - it doesn't even reach the guide fork at the top!

   
Maaaaaaaaaaasive arms for the access to Cora's roll-up door.  And I guess for the square itself?  I really hope people in other cities pitching for Light Rail don't look too closely at stuff like this on ours.

[embe]

The contact wire actually isn't a "wire" - it's a copper profile with a dovetail in the top, that these clamps can clip on to!

These are going to corrode though, right?  Not galvanic corrosion so much, but jut thinking about bare copper exposed to the environment.  One end of the spectrum being the green Parliament building roof, opposite end being something like plumbing in an older house that's oxidized.