I was a track supervisor with Southern Railway circa 1969-1973. Almost every branch line had been relaid over time with 85 lb. rail, more specifically rail section 8540. I did have at times 80 lb. rail and in South Carolina 70 lb. rail (Hagood to Camden). But usually the branch lines were laid with 80 lb. rail - and the rail section (specification) Southern chose was good stuff, we had more trouble with the four hole angle bars breaking than the rail. I would guess that an awful lot of Norfolk Southern's old Southern branch lines are still laid in 85 lb. rail. The only real problem occurred when Southern put heavy 100 ton cars over the branch lines. I had a 25 mile long branch from Kingville to Hagood, SC, and in 1971 Southern retired the "articulated" hoppers (two 50 ton cars with a semi-permanent drawbar between them) that had been used and replaced them with 100 ton two door hoppers designed for stone and gravel traffic. That was a 125 ton total gross weight under load. The next Sperry car rail test revealed over 79 split head failures on track we seldom ever found that defect on. Eventually (long after I had left) they replaced the 85 lb. rail with 100 lb. An even worse test for 85 lb. rail as the Jellico line between Clinton, Tennessee and Jellico, Tenn/Ky. The Arco unit coal train --- one hundred 100 ton hoppers and seven SD units (24/35/40/45) regularly used this line at least twice a week. They wrecked the Arco train so often they relaid the whole line in 100 lb. welded rail and I believe it is now 132 lb. CWR now. I understand the Arco train now runs on the CSX (nee-L&N). Incidentally the SD45's were not loved by the Engineering Department where the Chief Engineer referred to them as "Ye Old Bridge Destroyer. Alton LanierMore Southern Railway Painting Information © S.A. McCall