What is the percentage of railroad ties in the U.S. that are made from wood?
Wood maintains a 93%+ share of the market for ties installed in North America. Concrete ties, and steel ties comprise about 5-6% and any other material like plastic or rubber are 1% of the market share. Wood is a natural product, all other ties are engineered by man. Wood has performance properties that make it more desirable with the varying track applications. Life cycle economics of wood ties is one of the most important reasons that wood is the material of choice for railroad ties.
Wood is also a renewable resource and if managed as it is currently, will always be available barring no natural disaster or war.
More Info:
rta.org
What are your thoughts on this subject?
9 Comments
teacherchicky
I'm well on my way to 200 50/50 helps now! I'll never surpass my replace helps at 700+ but I don't generally use helps much any more unless they're double chance because majority votes is often wrong now, unlike when I first started playing almost 6 years ago!
Carrie Arnold-Marsh
Actually, it's 91.5%
jimsclads
I see wood ties being replaced with concrete and recycled plastics mixed with used Kevlar blend for wet or fire prone areas.
silrem
Date as of, what life cycle economies, what wood properties are good
billptxb
Brian Myers you are Wrong, Railroads are using Concrete Ties in some places, just cause you never saw them does not mean they are not there?
Karen Mulhollem
Brian myers , or steel! I just might have to hop out of my car next time and look closer
Bill Moss
Brian myers , they use them in Europe and U.K. In the U.S. BNSF, CSX, and Union Pacific use them. UP has a high speed line from St. Louis to Chicago which is 100% concrete ties. There are several concrete tie manufacturers, KSA, and Rocla are two of, Google Rocla Concrete Tie.
Jamee Perryman
I am about to delete Quizz Club. It has told me I was wrong 3 times today, when I know and have back up to show I'm right and just now it answered for me while I was just sitting here and not even touching my laptop!
Brian myers
I have never heard of nor have I seen a concrete rail road tie and I don't believe there is such a thing