Why are there stones on railway tracks

On top of the foundation, you deposit a load of crushed stone the ballast. On top of the stone, you lay down perpendicular to the direction of the track a line of wooden beams on You then continue to dump crushed stone all around the beams. The sharp edges of the stone make it difficult for them to slide over each other in the way that smooth, round pebbles would , thus effectively locking them in place.

The beams are made of hardwood usually oak or hickory , and impregnated with creosote for weather protection. In the U. Next, you bring in hot-rolled steel rails, historically 39' long in the U.

They used to be joined by bolting on an extra piece of steel called a "fishplate" across the side of the joint, but today are usually continuously welded end-to-end. It would seem that you could just nail them or bolt them down to the ties, but that won't work.

Next, you bring in hot-rolled steel rails It would seem that you could just nail them or bolt them down to the ties, but that won't work. The non-trivial movement caused by heat expansion and contraction along the length of the rail would cause it to break or buckle if any of it were fixed in place.

So, instead, the rails are attached to the sleepers by clips or anchors, which hold them down but allow them to move longitudinally as they expand or contract.

So there you have it: a centuries-old process that is extremely effective at facilitating the movement of people and material over thousands of miles The ballast distributes the load of the ties which in turn bear the load of the train on the track, held by clips across the foundation, allows for ground movement, thermal expansion and weight variance, allows rain and snow to drain through the track, and inhibits the growth of weeds and vegetation that would quickly take over the track.

David S Rose , entrepreneur, investor, mentor. Why are there crushed stones alongside railway tracks? Ask a question, get a great answer. Once the work of laying out of sleepers is over, the railway tracks are laid out. The sleepers are placed perpendicular to the tracks.

The sharp edges of the stones help them cling to one another tightly. Now imagine, if the railway tracks were laid out simply on the sleepers without any bed of railway ballast, what would happen when a train rolls on it at great speed. The sleepers would get displaced, resulting in train mishaps.

Now imagine, what would happen if the round-shaped pebbles found on the river beds were used instead of these sharp-edged stones. And the consequence can well be imagined. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

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