A very old welding technique for railroad tracks. Railroad Thermite Welding

 

Welding of railway tracks has been done for over 100 years. In this video we will see in 6 steps the welding process made by some railroad workers.

1. Putting the mold on the track.

2. Preparing the thermite in a bucket. It is used iron oxide (rust) in combination with aluminum powder.

3. Preheating the ends of the rail that are to be welded so that they don’t cool off the thermite before it will be able to weld properly.

4. Set thermite on top and ignite. Molten iron is formed by the reaction and pours into the mold to weld the rail.

5. Take the mold off as quickly as possible so you can break the excess metal off easily before it cools and hardens.

6. The grinding process