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The appropriate thickness of a layer of track ballast depends on the size and spacing of the ties, the amount of traffic on the line, and various other factors. [1] Track ballast should never be laid down less than 150 mm (6 inches) thick, [5] and high-speed railway lines may require ballast up to 0.5 metres (20 inches) thick. [6]
A railway track (CwthE and UIC terminology) or railroad track (NAmE), also known as permanent way (CwthE) [1] or "P Way" (BrE [2] and Indian English), is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers (railroad ties in American English) and ballast (or slab track), plus the underlying subgrade.
The railway track or permanent way is the elements of railway lines: generally the pairs of rails typically laid on the sleepers or ties embedded in ballast, intended to carry the ordinary trains of a railway. It is described as a permanent way because, in the earlier days of railway construction, contractors often laid a temporary track to ...
A ballast regulator at work in Spain. A ballast regulator (also known as a ballast spreader or ballast sweeper) is a piece of railway maintenance equipment used to shape and distribute the gravel track ballast that supports the ties in rail tracks. They are often used in conjunction with ballast tampers when maintaining track.
A hopper car (NAm) or hopper wagon (UIC) is a type of railroad freight car that has opening doors or gates on the underside or on the sides to discharge its cargo. They are used to transport loose solid bulk commodities such as coal, ore, grain, and track ballast.
Section through railway track and foundation showing the ballast and formation layers. The track bed or trackbed is the groundwork onto which a railway track is laid. Trackbeds of disused railways are sometimes used for recreational paths or new light rail links.
Ballast is a material used to support the ties and rails, and keep them in place. It is also a key part of drainage along railway lines to ensure the integrity of the tracks during rain and other wet weather. Ballast is often a crushed stone. Stones need to be irregularly shaped, in order to increase friction that holds the tracks in place. [3]
A ballast cleaner Matisa C330F in action on the Coastal Railway in Haifa, Israel. A ballast cleaner (also known as an undercutter, a shoulder ballast cleaning machine) is a machine that specialises in cleaning the railway track ballast (gravel, blue stone or other aggregate) of impurities. [1]