MATERIALS FOR TRACK BALLAST

It is generally agreed that the ideal ballast is hard stone broken to suitable sizes. The main characteristics of good ballast are that it should be hard, heavy, resistant to crushing, shock abrasion and weathering -- especially due to frost -- clean, and reasonably binding but loose enough to permit of free drainage. Crushed stone such as granite, quartzite, igneous rock, or trap, has the advantage of being very hard and angular, and even broken limestone and sandstone may also be reasonably hard. Crushed slag has the characteristics of rock, but it induces dry rot in wooden sleepers. Cinders or ashes are the cheapest form of ballast; they provide good drainage, but powder and cake too easily for other than yard or unimportant branches. Their greatest fault is that they quickly corrode the feet of rails and steel sleepers in contact with them. Sand, as well as being cheap, makes a stable lower ballast.

• Corporate Authors:

  Temple Press Limited

  161-166 Fleet Street
  Longon EC4,   England 
• Publication Date: 1954-8-27

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 229
• Serial:
  • RAILWAY GAZETTE
  • Volume: 101

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Ballast (Railroads); Maintenance of way; Railroad tracks; Structural design; Technology
• Uncontrolled Terms: Ballast; Track design
• Geographic Terms: United Kingdom; United States
• Old TRIS Terms: Ballast depth
• Subject Areas: Design; Geotechnology; Maintenance and Preservation; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00039576
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 4 1994 12:00AM