Trivia: The longest piece of continuously welded rail?

[replacementbus]

As most line is now made up of continuously welded rail, this got me thinking: where is the longest single length of rail on the UK network, and how long is it?
I don't mean the longest stretch of track formed of continuously welded rails. I mean the longest individual piece of unbroken rail, between two points.
I don't know why I want to know this, but it has been on my mind for a while.

EDIT: Apologies my phrasing was unclear. I'm referring to the longest unbroken length of welded-together pieces of rail, as Eskimo and brad465 understood it, with no breaks for junctions/crossovers/expansion joints etc.

 

[LYradial]

In 2018 British steel invested a lot of money to enable them to roll 120 metre lengths of rail, I would imagine that the limit is how long a length can be rolled and can it be transported to site, so as much as possible will be laid to this maximum

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Nov 2025 ==

Google AI tells me the record for a length of rail from a rolling mill is 260 metres but that is in india

 

[swt_passenger]

In 2018 British steel invested a lot of money to enable them to roll 120 metre lengths of rail, I would imagine that the limit is how long a length can be rolled and can it be transported to site, so as much as possible will be laid to this maximum

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Nov 2025 ==

Google AI tells me the record for a length of rail from a rolling mill is 260 metres but that is in india

I’m not sure you’re answering the OP’s actual question, but NR use a welding plant at Eastleigh to join two lengths of rail to a standard length of 216m for delivery - and that combined length is governed by the capacity of the delivery trains that leave Eastleigh to worksites all over the place.

 

[Shred Metal]

I think OP wants to know the longest distance of single (now joined) welded rail between to places - presumably a junction or crossover, or set or points - wherever the particular rail is broken by the flange allowance.

Longest distance between points or junctions would be a safe bet.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

If I am understanding the question right, we are looking for the longest length between two sliding expansion joints on a section of line with continuously welded rail?

I was under the impression the standard maximum length is one mile? Or was that just a number plucked from thin air for publicity material in the 1970s and 80s?

 

[brad465]

I would guess somewhere that's a long section of single track line that isn't bullhead/jointed track (maybe West of England line, or Wolvercote Jct-Charlbury on the Cotswold line?), or somewhere along HS1, where the high speeds require as much continuous rail as possible, so maybe between Singlewell and Lenham (which both have additional passing loops and crossovers).

 

[Vexed]

If I am understanding the question right, we are looking for the longest length between two sliding expansion joints on a section of line with continuously welded rail?

I was under the impression the standard maximum length is one mile? Or was that just a number plucked from thin air for publicity material in the 1970s and 80s?

I suppose half the rails of most main lines won't go beyond a mile due to Insulated Block Joints for track circuits being installed.

Maybe getting less common these days with axel counters and some track circuits operating at higher frequencies that don't need IBJs. The other rail will have no IBJs as otherwise the current return for overheads doesn't really work well!

No idea about expansion joints though.

 

[edwin_m]

Modern switches and crossings can be welded up and take the stresses of the rails they are welded to. Insulated joints are not needed if jointless track circuits or axle counters are used. So expansion joints are relatively rare and on certain routes the welded section could be very long.

 

[Ploughman]

In theory the max length could be 90 metres from the Buffers at Penzance to 90 metres from the stops at Thurso / Wick.
This assuming all track is welded up and stressed and compliant with all required standards for Stressing.
However this is very unlikely to ever being the case.

 

[bishdunster]

In the 1970 as a youngster on BR i was told by an area inspector that the trainloads of CWR coming out of Eastleigh were 600 ft long and after laying in would be thermit welded together 6 lengths at a time, (3600ft) only the extreme ends having expansion switches.

 

[LYradial]

But the op says not the longest stretch of welded track, to me a welded length is not ‘unbroken rail’

 

[replacementbus]

Thanks for all the replies, sorry my phrasing was unclear.
I've edited the original post to make it more clear. I'm referring to the longest welded-together length of rail, with no break for junctions/crossovers/expansion joints etc, NOT the longest single span of rail as-manufactured, which presumably wouldn't exceed 216m as per swt_passenger's comment.

 

[CEN60]

Thanks for all the replies, sorry my phrasing was unclear.
I've edited the original post to make it more clear. I'm referring to the longest welded-together length of rail, with no break for junctions/crossovers/expansion joints etc, NOT the longest single span of rail as-manufactured, which presumably wouldn't exceed 216m as per swt_passenger's comment.

Are you including lengths of rails with glued Insulated Block Joints? (which can be stressed)

 

[Tim M]

I suppose half the rails of most main lines won't go beyond a mile due to Insulated Block Joints for track circuits being installed.

Jointless Track Circuits have been in use since at least the early 1970’s, not necessarily in universal use but applicable to both a.c. and d.c. electrified lines. The use of axle counters eliminates the need for insulated rail joints.