I have seen a similar mark after an Accucraft K was stoped on the track by debris, the loco wheels continued to move wearing 8 divots into the track.

Have you had a loco spin its wheels in these locations?

Alan

Now that's a possibility I hadn't thought of. While I can't be sure of the exact location on the track, I have had several instances of locos spinning it's wheels, and it's almost always happens on curves!

Hmmm..... I think the mystery is solved. Thanks Alan.

That's got to be what's causing it. I have this propensity to add too much rolling stock at times for the locos I'm running (gotta test that loco's pulling power), and not realizing until now, that by doing so, I'm actually damaging the track!

Looks to me like a blemish made during manufacturing. Notice that the dents are NOT centered over the top of the rail. Note also that it looks like the rail has been "upset" as though it was struck with something heavy. Get some photos of the other pieces of track. ONE photo doesn't really tell the tale. All guessing right now.

I agree that it does *not* look like the result of a loco spinning its wheels..
every Large scale loco I have ever seen has wheels that are wider than the rail..or at least as wide..
I have never seen a loco where the wheels/drivers could wear into only half the width of the rail, and not the full width..
that desnt make any sense..
also, they would be longer front to back, those indentations look to only be about 1/4 inch long..
most loco wheels would make much longer "grooves"..

could be a manufacturing defect in the rail..
but what are the odds that two defects would be exactly across from each other?
seems they would be much more randomly spaced..

weird! I dont have any guesses as to what it could be!

Scot

Are they all near your mounting screws like in the photo?

If you look at the pic you will see that the marks are accross from one another indicating what we know in the real world as engine burns caused by wheel slip which causes flat spots in the rail.  In your case these are not critical to your train operation and about all you will hear is more cl icky clack just as you would at the rail joints.  In the case of real railroading these could become dangerous resulting in rail failures which in turn causes derailments in most cases.  I think you are safe tho.  Later RJD

In the 2 pictures I have, the divots are immediately to the left of a mounting screw. I noticed that as well. The second picture is posted below. I'll have to check the remaining section(s) of track when it's daylight outside. I know of atleast 2 other sections of track that contains divots.



To address some other "much appreciated" comments:

Manufacturing defects? I agree, what are the odds that four separate sections of track would develop divots exactly across form each other.

Blemished or struck by something heavy? This is a 56 ft Length x 12 ft Width oval on a raised platform under a canopy of "really" tall Oak trees, so I get a lot of decent sized branches and twigs on the platform, but again, what are the odds that branches or twigs regardless of their size would make those divots exactly across from each other and only on the curved sections of track.

Bottom line is I'm keeping an open mind here, but I'm inclined to believe it's the loco's spinning it's wheels, since I know for sure that has happened on several occasions. I'm just glad Alan mentioned it. I certainly hadn't thought of it, and although I know brass is a soft metal, I never though it would be that easy to wear.

Is there a loco with only one pair of drive wheels? Wouldn't there be another set of divots to the left or right of this original set, spaced for the power block if it was wheel spin? Or if a bigger engine, (two power blocks) another set of divots spaced the distance between the power blocks.

Perhaps a clamp indent from holding the track in a vise while cutting?

Do you usually run the same train?

hmmm..
in the two photos, the divots are not *directly* across from each other,
they are not exactly in line with other, when compared to tie centerlines..
but what is interesting is that they are *equally* off center in both photos!

theory:
something caught on the screw, a coupler of something low-hanging, causing the train/loco to stop,
some set of wheels remains spinning..same loco both times.

I still find it bizzare that a loco wheel could dig that far into the rail..seems like it would take many many hours to dig that
deep..like a day or something..but perhaps not.

Scot

Do you usually run the same train?

Finished the layout last spring, started with a 1 Aristo U-25B, added another later in the summer. I've recently added a USAT SD40-2 that doesn't have but maybe a couple of hours of actually run time on it. I typically switch up what I run for rolling stock every time I run.

If there were traction tires on the other axle there would be only one pair of divots.

Don't think the U25-B's have traction tires, but then again I don't really know what traction tires are!

Perhaps a clamp indent from holding the track in a vise while cutting?

Definitely not a clamp indent, I don't even own any clamps!

Here's divits of the real kind. YIKES

Sorry Randy those aren't ground divots on the real shot you provided...they are from the heat of the fire causing the rail to soften and the weight of the loco sunk into the rails.

Chas

Yep Randy not quite the same.  The rest of the pic are awesome also.  Later RJD

Guys

I was being sarkastic?

Good call Nick.  Glade to see someone else looking at what is clear and that the rail has moved due to expansion.  If you notice also the ties are skewed which indicates rail movement.      Later RJD

A 2 axle engine that derailed only one axle would cause the damage shown and explains the offset.
A 4 axle engine would have to have 1 truck off the track plus 1 axle of the other truck and cause this wear also.

So I feel it was a derailment with only one axle left on the track.