A jim crow or rail bender is a tool for bending

rails Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' ( ...

, consisting of a U-shaped or V-shaped armature with a hefty

screw A screw and a bolt (see '' Differentiation between bolt and screw'' below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a ''male thread'' (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to f ...

rod in its axis. Deluxe models are outfitted with rollers for continuous bending. Illustrations of rail benders with rolls
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Practice

Railway rails are quite flexible and bend easily to

radii In classical geometry, a radius ( : radii) of a circle or sphere is any of the line segments from its center to its perimeter, and in more modern usage, it is also their length. The name comes from the latin ''radius'', meaning ray but also the ...

of or more. The jim crow is needed to bend rails to tighter radii, especially near the ends.

References

External links

* http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/tkwk03.Html (wit
illustration

Photograph

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