Rail Track Engineering

BALLAST, FORMATION AND DRAINAGE; Part I & II

Published on: by Chaminda Weerawarna

This technical paper is a revision of the Chapter 8 Draft of J.S. Mundrey for the forthcoming 5 th edition RAILWAY TRACK ENGINEERING with modifications and amendments by Dr. F.A. Wingler.

A Railway Track needs to be addressed in its entirety rather by only its individual constituents.

The technical paper deals in Part I with the Load Transfer in Track, with Ballast, Sub- Ballast Blanket Layer, Formation, Substructure and Drainage and delineates and  illustrates in Part II Track-, Hill &  Cutting Slope-Drainage- Systems.

Cuttings are injury to the nature and disturb the natural water-flow. And if not appropriately protected and secured, nature will take revenge with Hill-, Mud- or Rock-Slides. This can cause nasty railway accidents.

Ballast is the “Blood of the Rail Track” and Water is the “Enemy of the Rail Track”. Without a stable, well bearing and well drained Sub-Ballast, Formation, Sub-Grade and Sub-Soil  there will be no stable Rail Track.

Initial High Quality of all interactive Track-Constituents in their entirety result in low Deterioration Rates under given traffic load, and hence initial High Track Quality cuts overall Life Cycle Costs. Quality is no Luxury. Capital Investment in High Quality pays off over the Life Cycle.

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BALLAST-FORMATION-AND-DRAINAGE revised

WATER THE ENEMY OF THE RAIL TRACK

Published on: by Chaminda Weerawarna

Water is the Enemy of the Rail Track and hence the Enemy of the Track Engineer. Wisdom tells: “One cannot be too careful in how to deal with his Enemy!” “One of the most time-consuming things is to have an Enemy!” Stability and longevity of a Rail Track depend in large extend, if water can be taken out  and kept away from the track-bed! Cuttings or graded hill-side slopes are injuries to the nature. The natural water-flow gets disturbed. If not adequately secured and drained, nature can take revenge by land-, mud-, earth-, soil and rock- and bolder-slides or slipping. This leads to train accidents, where passengers lose their live or get severely injured.

The Technical Paper informs about the systems of open and closed rail track side-drains, catch-drains and gabions.

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WATER THE ENEMY OF THE RAIL TRACK

RAIL FASTENING SYSTEMS

Published on: by Chaminda Weerawarna

This Technical paper is a revision with amendments by Dr. F.A. Wingler of the draft on Chapter 5 of J.S. Mundrey`s forthcoming 5 th edition RAILWAY TRACK ENGINEERING. The article covers direct and indirect Rail to Sleeper Fastening Systems for wooden, compound, steel and concrete sleepers as well for ballast-less slab-tracks.
Most common are indirect fastening systems with “right-handed” and “left-handed”  Pandrol-Type Elastic Rail Clips (ERC) and the Amsted RPS System, or direct or indirect systems with Vossloh-, Nabla-  and Kawa-Type Tension-Clamps fixed directly with Screws or indirectly with T-Head/K- Bolts and Nuts on Ribbed Bearing Plates.
The “fit and forget” Pandrol Fast-Clip increasingly supersedes worldwide the Pandrol Brand e- and PR 400 Series Clips. It is nowadays the favourite Clip for new installed Steel-Sleepers, and it helped them for a come-back in several European countries as well in Sri Lanka.

On concrete sleepers or on ballast-less slab-tracks, damping with elastic Pads is essential.

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RAIL FASTENING SYSTEMS

WITHER CHECK-RAILS ON RAILWAY CURVES

Published on: by Chaminda Weerawarna

This article deals with the pros and cons of Check-Rails on Curves, especially in India and Sri Lanka. Check-Rails on railway curves are a relic from England, the cradle of railways.
Check-Rails on Curves create a lot of pain for little or no benefit.

By modern Friction-Management:

  •  Preventive and Target Rail and Wheel Profiling and
  •  Rail-Flange and Top-of- Rail Lubrication with Friction ModifiersCheck-Rails on curves become needless.

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    CHECKRAILS

RAIL TRACK GEOMETRY

Published on: by Chaminda Weerawarna

This Technical Paper had been elaborated for a Seminar and a Railway Technology Exhibition with Students of the Richmond Hill College, Galle, Sri Lanka, October 2014.
The paper covers the following topics of Rail Track Engineering: Gauge; Super elevation or Cant; Unfavorable Curve Geometry; Measuring the Tightness of Curves by the Versine-
Method in Radius or Degree; Durability and Quality of Tracks reached by modern heavy Track Machinery; Long and continuous welded Rails.

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RAIL TRACK GEOMETRY

RAIL-WHEEL- INTERFACE

Published on: by Chaminda Weerawarna

Rail and Wheel meet at an inelastic Interface. Vibrations and dynamic Impulses have to be
damped by both the Rail-Track Constituents as well by the Suspension Components of the
Rolling Stocks. The interactive system has to be treated in it entity rather than by its
individual components.

This technical feature paper had been prepared for a Seminar and a Technical Railway
Exhibition with students of the Richmond  College, Galle, Sri Lanka, October 2014.

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Rail Wheeel Interface