early Amercian strap rail by vkoontz
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Description
Early American rail transportation rode on wrought iron "strap rail" nailed onto wood. This cheap method resulted in many accidents called "Snakeheads" as the strap worked loose and curled around the wheel and ripped through the car. American rail in the 19th century greatly lagged behind European rail. The weight of the engines, rolling stock and speed increased but the rails were not upgraded in most cases.
Comments (1)
weesel
Well, there was a lot more wood available than iron in those days, so we can understand the attempt to go this way. However, as you point out, it was very dangerous in the long run. Maybe for a horse-drawn mine wagon with little speed and no passengers . . .