Strapping railroad rails

Have a load of railroad rails today. 15 on the bottom, 15 on top, with a skid of plates on top. When I'm hauling beams, I usually use a combination of straps and chains. This load I'm thinking 2 straps on the bottom stack, 8 straps on the top stack, and 2 straps on the skid. I usually overkill the tie downs. It's only takes an extra minute or 2, and saves picking it up off the road. Would you throw some chains as well?

 

I followed a guy that I watched load rails and he did something I never thought of. He loaded the first layer forward tight against a 4X4 on 5 2X6s that was strapped down and had cleats on his nailing boards, then his second layer was set back 12 inches and had a 4X4 setting on the first layer and chained down. there was a 2X6 directly under the top 4X4. It was a mini bulkhead on each layer and then the bottom got 3 straps and the top got 5.
I did the same as he did and threw 2 3/8 chains as a feel-good measure.
I don't know if that was enough to stop a forward slide but it made me feel ok.

 

I’d run a chain around the front of each layer pulling back, also.

 

It doesn’t matter how many you throw over the top, the rails in the middle won’t have anything stopping them from coming forward.

 

A chain choker around the. Front of each stack would help to hold everything together. What else can be done to keep the center of the load from sliding? This would go for any steel beams, etc

Pulled in behind another truck with the same load to deliver this morning. 2 straps over the bottom stack and 4 on the top. That scares me!

 

do what @beastr123 said.

 

Would there be enough room to put the skid in front and use it as a bulkhead?

 

Build a bulkhead and put a choker around the front, all that is doing is holding them in between the rub rails