PERMANENT WAY ( RAILWAY

TRACK )
 Ballast base

Ballast shoulder

Gauge

Ballast cess
Rail

Sleeper

Ballast

Sub ballast ( subgrade ) ( earth fill )

G.L
Formation width

Figure : Typical cross – section of a permanent way or embankment

Permanent way :
 The combination of rails , fitted on sleepers and resting on ballast and
subgrade is called the railway track or permanent way .
 Sometimes temporary tracks are also laid for conveyance of earth and
materials during construction works . The name permanent way is given to
distinguish the final layout of track from these temporary tracks .
Requirements of an ideal permanent way :
1) The gauge should be correct and uniform.
2) The rails should be in proper level . In a straight track , two rails must be
at the same level . On curves , the outer rails should have proper super
elevation and there should be proper transition at the junction of a
straight end of a curve .
3) The alignment should be correct .i.e it should be free from kinks or
irregularities .
4) The gradient should be uniform and as gentle as possible .
5) The track should be resilient and elastic inorder to absorb shocks and
variations of running track .
6) The track should have enough lateral strength , so that alignment is
maintained even due to effects of a) side thrust on tangent lengths and
centrifugal force on curves b) lateral forces due to expansion of rails ,
particularly incase of welded rails.
7) The radii and superelevation should be properly designed and maintained .
8) Drainage system must be perfect for enhancing safety and durability of
track .
9) Joints , including points and crossings which are regarded to be the
weakest points of the railway track should be properly designed and
maintained .
10) There should be adequate provision for easy renewals and replacements .
11) If there is trouble from the creep , the preventionary measures should be
taken to prevent it .
12) The various components of the track i.e rails , fittings , sleepers , ballast
and formation must fully satisfy the requirements for which they have been
provided . If any component if lacking in fulfilling the requirements , then
either it should be improved or replaced .
Component parts of a railway track :
1) RAILS :
 Can be considered as streel girders for the purpose of carrying loads.
 Made up of high carbon steel to withstand wear and tear .
 The rails are joined in series by fish plates and bolts and then they are
fixed to sleepers by fasteners .
Functions :
 Rails provide hard , smooth and unchanging surface for smooth passage of
heavy moving loads with mminimum friction between steel rail and steel
wheel .
 Rails bear the stresses developed due to heavy vertical loads , lateral and
braking forces and thermal stresses .
 Rails transmit the loads to sleepers and consequently reduce pressure on
ballast and formation below .
 The rail material used is such that it gives minimum wear to avail
replacement changes and failure due to wear
 Head

Web

Foot
Types of rail sections :
1) Double headed rails .
2) Bull headed rails .
3) Flat footed rails ( developed by Charles Vignoles in 1836 hence called “
Vignoles rails “ ) ( most of the railway track is made up of flat footed rails ) .

Double headed rails Bull headed rails Flat footed rails

Designation of rail in India :
 It is designated by the self weight of rail per meter length of the rail .
 It is expressed as kg/m or kgf/m ( lb/yard in U.K )
 In India , rail section used is 52 kg/m ( 52 MR ) ( M = Metric , R= Rail ) for
speed above 100 km/hr ( high speed track )
 In low speed track , ( v < 100 kmph ) , the rail section used is 90R ( RBS =
Revised British Standard ) 90 R = 45 MR = 45 kg/m
 For higher speed ; 60 MR = 60 kg/m
 The above values are for B.G only .
 The axle load carrying capacity of Indian rail is 510 times of its self weight
i.e for 52 kg rail , the applied load shall not exceed 510 x 52 kgf = 26520 kg
= 26.52 tonne.
 For B.G = Axle load = 28.56 tonnes
 For M.G = Axle load = 17.34 tonnes
 For N.G = Axle load = 13.26 tonnes
2 ) RAIL FIXATIONS :
Track fittings and fixations :
 Track fittings and fastenings are used to keep the rails in the proper
position and to set the points and crossings properly .
 They link the rail endwise and fix the rails either on chair fixed to sleepers
or directly on to the sleepers .
Some important fittings commonly used in a permanent way are as follows
1) FISH PLATES :
 Fish plates are used in rail joints to maintain the continuity of the rails and
to follow for any expansion or contraction of the rail caused by
temperature variations .
 They maintain the correct alignment of the line both horizontally and
vertically .
 Rail

Fish plate

Fish nut and bolts

Figure : Bone- shaped plate for F.F. Rail ( flat footed rail )
2 ) SPIKES :
For holding the rails to the wooden sleepers , spikes of various types are used.
They can be used with or without bearing plates below the rails . Examples
are 1) dog spikes 2) screw spikes 3) round spikes 4) standard spikes 5) elastic
spikes .
3) BOLTS :
Following types of bolts are used for fixing various track components in
position . Example are 1) dog or hook bolt 2) fish bolt 3) ray bolt 4) fang nut
and bolt
4) CHAIRS FOR BULL HEADED B.H AND DOUBLE HEADED D.H RAILS :
a) C.I Chairs :
 For holding D.H and B.H rails , the chairs are used .
 B.H rails are supported on C.I Chairs fixed to the sleepers by round spikes .
 Incase of C.I sleepers , chairs are casted with the sleepers .
 Incase of steel sleepers , the chairs are welded to the steel sleepers .
b) Slide chairs :
These are plates of special shape on which the stock and tongue rails rest.
They are of two types :a) presssed up lug type b) riveted lug type
5) BLOCKS :
When two rails run very close as in case of check rails etc small blocks are
inserted in between the two rails and bolted to maintain the required
distance or spacing .
6) KEYS :
Keys are small tapered pieces of timber on steel to fix rails to chairs on metal
sleepers .a) wooden key for C.I chair b) M.S key and steel trough sleepers c)
Stuart’s key d) Cotter and tie bars e) Morgan key .
7) PLATES :
a) Bearing plate : are rectangular plates of mild steel or cast iron and are
used below F.F rails to distribute the load on a larger area of timber
sleepers thus preventing sinking of the rail in the soft wooden sleepers.
b) Saddle plate : are strengthened by an additional plate in the shape of a
saddle at the rail seat .
Advantages :
1) They prevent destruction of the sleeper due to rubbing action of the rail (
increase in life and economy of sleeper )
2) No adzing of sleeper is required when bearing plates are used because
the bearing surfaces are canted 1 in 20 . This leads uniform distribution
of load over sleepers .
3) They help in firm and perfect holding of spikes to the sleepers which in
turn prevent the shifting of rails .
4) Better maintenance of gauge .
Disadvantages :
1) Plates rattle when loose .
2) When any hole for a spike is injured and a new hole is required to be
made , in such cases , all the spikes in the bearing plate have to be pulled
out which spoil the good hold of the spikes .
3) When bearing plates are loose , they admit moisture and result in
increase of mechanical wear of sleepers .
3 ) SLEEPERS :
Sleepers are members generally laid transverse to the rails on which the rails
are supported and fixed , to transfer the loads from the rails to the ballast and
subgrade below
Types of sleepers
1) Wooden sleepers ( or timber sleepers )
2) Metal sleepers : a) C.I sleepers b) Steel sleepers
3) Concrete sleepers : a) Reinforced sleepers b) Prestressed concrete
sleepers
Functions :
1) To hold the rails to correct gauge ( exact in straight and flat curves , loose
in sharp curves and tight in diamond crossings )
2) To hold the rails in proper level or transverse tilt i.e level in turnout ,
cross-overs .
3) To act as an elastic medium in between the ballast and rails to absorb the
blows and vibrations of moving loads
4) To distribute the load from the rails to the index of ballast underlying it or
to the girders in case of bridges .
5) To support the rails at a proper level in straight tracks and at proper
superelevation on curves .
6) Sleepers also add to the longitudinal and lateral stability of the permanent
track on the whole .
4) BALLAST :
Ballast is the granular material usually broken stone or brick , shingle or
kankar , gravel or sand placed and packed below and around the sleepers to
transmit the load ( due to the wheels of the train )from sleepers to formation
and at the same time allowing drainage of the track . It provides a suitable
foundation for the sleepers and also hold the sleepers in their correct level
and position , preventing their displacement by lateral or longitudinal thrusts.
The lateral stability of a track depends on the ballast .
Functions :
1) It transfers the load from the sleeper to the subgrade and then
distributes it uniformly over a larger area of the formation .
2) It holds the sleepers in position and prevents the lateral and longitudinal
movement , due to dynamic loads and vibrations of the moving trains .
3) It imparts some degree of elasticity to the track .
4) It provides easy means of maintaining the correct levels of the two lines
of a track ( i.e level in straight portions and correct superelevation on
curves ) and for correcting track alignment .
5) It provides good drained foundation immediately below the sleepers and
helps to protect the top surface of the formation . This is achieved by
providing coarse and rough aggregates with plenty of voids .
Types of ballast :
1) Broken stone
2) Gravel or river pebbles or shingle
3) Ashes or cinders
4) Sand
5) Moorum
6) Kankar
7) Brick ballast
8) Blast furnace slag
9) Selected earth .
5) SUBGRADE :
It is the naturally occuring soil which is prepared to receive ballast , sleepers
and rails for constructing the railway track . This prepared surface is also
called formation .
Functions :
1) It should bear the moving loads transmitted to it through the ballast with
as uniform a reaction as possible .
2) It should prevent the ballast from puncturing into it .
3) To facilitate drainage i.e it should drain off the water entering from its
top.
4) It should provide a smooth , uniform , regular and graded surface on
which the ballast and the track may be safely laid .
5) It should not change its volume due to variation in moisture as it would
create stresses on the track material and disrupt the track . In other
words , it should provide stability to the track
Preparation of subgrade :
 Subgrades are commonly compacted before the construction of a road ,
pavement or railway track and are sometimes stabilised by the addition of
asphalt , lime , portland cement or other modifiers .
 Preparation of the subgrade for construction usually involves digging
inorder to remove vegetation , top soil and other unwanted material and
to create space for the upper layer of the pavement . This process is
known as “ subgrade formation “ or “ reduction to level “.