THE EFFECTS OF ACCELERATED BALLAST CONSOLIDATION

The effects of accelerated ballast consolidation were tested on main-line tracks of the Boston and Maine, the Chessie, the Missouri Pacific, the Penn Central and the Saint Louis and Southwestern, and at three sites on the Southern. Tests were made before and after traffic, after surfacing and related track work had been completed, both with and without machine consolidation of the ballast in the cribs and shoulders. The resistance of individual ties and panels of track to lateral forces, track settlement under traffic, and other indicators of track stability were measured. The average lateral resistance before traffic in sections of track with consolidated ballast was found to be equivalent to that reached after more than 400,000 tons (360,000 metric tons) of traffic on track with unconsolidated ballast. Settlement was found to be less in consolidated ballast, especially at joints. The differences diminished under traffic but were still evident after many thousands of tons of traffic. Some of the test results were not conclusive because of wide variations in local conditions and other factors. However, the results indicate that accelerated consolidation of ballast will be a valuable addition to track surfacing work in areas where continuous welded rail has a high probability of buckling under temperature stress after the ballast has been disturbed.

• Record URL:
  https://railroads.dot.gov/elibrary/effects-accelerated-ballast-consolidation
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Sponsored by the FRA's Office of Research and Development, U.S. DOT. Other railroads participating in this work were the Boston and Maine Corporation, Penn Central Transportation Company, St. Louis and Southwestern Railway Company, and the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company.
• Corporate Authors:

  ENSCO, Incorporated

  5400 Port Royal Road
  Springfield, VA  United States  22151

  Southern Railway Company

  P.O. Box 1808
  Washington, DC  United States  20013

  Chessie System

  2 North Charles Street
  Baltimore, MD  United States  21201
• Authors:
  • Cunney, E G
  • May, J T
  • Jones, H N
• Publication Date: 1977-3

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 184 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Ballast (Railroads); Ballast crib; Buckling; Compaction; Maintenance of way; Railroad tracks; Soil compaction; Stability (Mechanics); Stiffness; Train track dynamics; Welded rail
• Uncontrolled Terms: Track stability
• Old TRIS Terms: Ballast stiffness; Track maintenance equipment; Track response investigations; Track structures
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00153369
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Railroad Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: FRA-OR&D-76-274 Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: DOT-FR-54174
• Files: NTIS, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jun 17 1977 12:00AM