If you look closely at a 78' rail you will see a "factory" weld in the center. For years that was all we would get. Then later we got 80' rail with no weld. So the 78' rail was not really designed to be replaced by two 39' pieces. Even though the longer rails reduced joints (expense, labor) I always found it difficult to handle. If lifted from the center it would just bend and flop on its side making it hard to install or load. It could be done of course but was awkward. It was nice in smaller turnouts (#9, #11) when insulated joints were not required since one piece could stretch from points to frog.

Does anyone remember rail rests alongside the track? They were built at the height of a push car, or motor car trailer, and with the aid of smaller rails could be slide or rolled directly onto the car without lifting. Then they were dumped off at the location needed and rolled into place. Thus the rail could be handled without the use of machinery. We'd gang up on one end of a 90lb. rail and just set one end over at a time without the use of the connecting rails. They weren't that heavy. One time, at a derailment site, a semi arrived loaded with rail. We carried them up the steep bank by hand. Not fun but doable. As I recall it was 85# rail and possibly in 36' lengths. The line itself was mostly laid with 75# rail but we got the big stuff to repair the derailment area.