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Contributed by Douglas Anderson The design of railway tracks hasn't changed much over the past 100 years, but the materials have. The standard width of North American railroad tracks is 4 feet 8.5 inches, which is based on the standard wheelbase of a Roman cart from 2000 years ago. In order to ensure a smooth ride for the train as well as one that is safe for the passengers, ballast is laid which looks like gravel. Some people think this is used to give it a nice look because it is a light colour, but the ballast serves a useful purpose. It allows water to drain from snow and rain to keep it off the tracks. Railroad ties are placed on top of the ballast which look like long wooden planks. They go across the train tracks in the opposite direction of the rails. This helps to keep the rails in place properly so that there isn't any risk of the trains being pushed off the rails due to inaccurate alignment. The rails can contract and expand due to the weather and the ties help them maintain their shape. Many railways are switching from wooden ties to those made out of concrete. The wood is known to rot out, even when coated with tar-like creosote, and this means a great deal of time has to be spent repairing them. Even though the concrete ties are more expensive than those made from wood, they don't have to be replaced very often so it does save money in the long run.
The rails must be placed the exact width from each other necessary in order for the train to be guided along them. They are made from a very heavy type of steel and held in place with long spikes. The steel has to be heavy in order to be able to hold up to the heavy weight of the loads the train carries.
The traditional rails have a gap at each end, and this is what causes the "clickety-clack" noise as the train wheels move over the gap and impact the next rail. Eventually, this causes wear and tear on both the wheels and the rails, even though they are both made from high-strength steel. Welded rail doesn't have these gaps; therefore the wheels and rails have less wear and tear and last a lot longer, which saves the railway money in the long run.
Some areas of the train tracks feature built in signals that activate the safety signals at the upcoming railroad crossings. These areas of the track are insulated to help prevent any malfunctions in the signals. When cars are ready to cross the railroad tracks it is these signals that will prevent them from going across when it isn't safe. It is vital to the railway industry that the tracks are always ready for trains to safely move across them. Regular inspections of each section of the tracks helps to ensure this process. Various railroad companies have inspection gangs that do regular maintenance on the train tracks and to take care of any emergency repairs that need to be made. About the Author:Douglas Anderson has been fascinated by trains since he was
a little kid. |
It
is believed that these concrete ties provide the train with a
smoother ride and that protects the freight as well as keeps
all of the train cars in good working condition. They are heavier
than the wooden ties though so it takes longer to get them in
place. It also requires heavy duty devices to secure them in
place that won't break the concrete.
Many
railway companies invest in welded track because this allows
them to place more weight on the rails with less damage. In the
long run it will cost them less in repairs and maintenance. In
many instances these welded tracks also allow for the trains
to move along at a faster speed.
Switches
(called "points" in the UK and Australia) in the rail
tracks allow for a train to move from one set of tracks to another.
They are commonly used as a type of bypass when you have two
trains on the same stretch of track but heading different directions.
The switch allows one train to go around the other while the
other continues in the normal path. This type of rail design
allows several trains to be on the same tracks at the same time.
It is important for switches to work properly or the risk of
two trains crashing into each other is possible.
