Abstract: A method and an apparatus for the protection of a railroad rail, a direct fixation plate or another support unit, a rail to rail connection and a rail to plate connection contacting with concrete upon placing of concrete during construction. The method comprises a step of disposing a mask over a railroad track having a railroad rail, a rail connector and a rail tie to protect the railroad track while placing concrete, the mask configured to cover the rail connector and tie. The mask has a connecting portion, a central portion, an extending portion configured to mask an upper longitudinally extending portion of a railroad rail, and at least one perpendicular section disposed to cover a railroad tie, direct fixation plate or other support unit.

Abstract: A method for on-site maintenance of a guardrail consisting of a continuous strip of metal section segments supported on posts at joints between adjacent segments, the guardrail is split at one of joints and the segments of one of the resulting two portions of the guardrail are detached successively from the posts and fed, still connected to adjacent segments, into an apparatus traveling along the strip and inside which the segments are subjected continuously to cleaning, metal facing and protective processes. Once processed, the segments come out successively from one end of the apparatus, as the latter travels along the guardrail, and are reconnected successively to the posts.

Abstract: A process for the aluminothermic welding of rails in which the rail ends to be joined are surrounded by a prefabricated, dry refractory casting mold and sealed from the rails with plastic mold materials, such as, moistened sand; a reaction crucible is arranged above the casting mold and filled with an aluminothermic reaction mixture; the rail ends are preheated, for example, by burning a mixture of propane and oxygen and directing the flames downwardly into the riser-duct of the casting mold for a period of time up to about 2 minutes and at a temperature between about 300.degree. C and about 700.degree.C; the aluminothermic reaction mixture in the reaction crucible is ignited; and, upon completion of the reaction of the aluminothermic reaction mixture, the lower outlet of the reaction crucible is opened and the steel melt is poured into the mold.The amount of aluminothermically produced steel utilized is between about 0.15 and about 0.25 parts by weight based on the weight per meter of the rails to be welded.