RAILWAY ENGINEERING

LECTURE 1
 Evolution of Railways
Reduce friction between the wheels of carriages or
wagons and the road surface, materials offering less
resistance to traction were introduced.

In the eighteenth century, wooden beams were laid

flush to the road surface in the trolley ways of collieries
in the UK. The wooden beams were subsequently
replaced with cast iron sections.

The attention was simultaneously turned to replace the

animal power by some mechanical device for drawing
the vehicles.
Comparison to Roads and Railways
Nature of track:
Road: Flexible or rigid pavement
Railways: The track may be considered as beam on elastic foundation
Service to commuters:
Road: Door delivery is possible
Railways: Generally delivery is at the rail head
Transportation of Cost:
Road: Economical for short distance b/c saving in time and money in transit to and from the
station
Railways: Economical for long distance b/c of reduced operating expenses.
Nature of traffic:
Road: All types of traffic ranging from pedestrian to heavy trucks
Railways: Track is reserved for the movement of scheduled trains only
Stresses:
Road: Stresses are transmitted to the sub-grade through pavement and formation
Railways: Heavy concentrated loads of locomotives wagons and coaches comes on the track
rails, and then transmitted to ballast and then transmitted to prepared sub-grade.
Comparison to Roads and Railways
Speed:
Road: Restricted
Railways: Higher speeds are achieved
Friction resistance:
Road: High
Railways: 20% of the road resistance
Cost of Construction:
Road: Comparatively less in terms of length of highway
Railways: Initial cost is very high
Maintenance Cost:
Road: Comparatively less
Railways: Even slight change in distance would result in derailment and hence comparatively
high cost of maintenance.
Change of track/highway:
Road: Change from one to another highway is done by junction and crossings
Railways: Movement from one track to another is by special device known as Points and
crossings.
 Gauges
Definition: The minimum
distance between
running faces of the two
rails is termed as the
gauge of the rail.

Longer the gauge, larger

will be the size of wagons
and rolling stock and
more economical will be
the operating charges.
 Types of Gauges
Broad Gauge:
5ft 6 inches, Followed in India and Pakistan
Standard Gauge:
4 ft 8.5 inches, sixty % of the world track are
based on this gauge.
Meter Gauge:
1 meter, followed in some parts of india,
Switzerland, Chile etc. (Preferable in
mountaneous terrain)
 Components of Permanent Way
The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the
structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast (or slab
track), plus the underlying subgrade. For clarity it is often referred to
as railway track (British English) or railroad track (predominantly in the
United States).
 Requirements of a Permanent Way
Gauge should be correct and uniform (avoid
derailment)
Cross levels of rails-Straight /curved section (super
elevation requirement)
Alignment-straight and free of kinks (smooth riding)
Track- Resilient and elastic
Lateral Strength- Shocks , vibration
Drainage- Stability, no water logging
Easy replacement and renewal of components
Cost- Minimum
 Rails
Hot rolled steel in the profile (cross section) of an
asymmetrical I-beam is usually used as the surface on
which railway wheels run.
Unlike some other uses of iron and steel, railway rails
are subject to very high stresses and have to be made
of very high-quality steel alloy.
It took many decades to improve the quality of the
materials, including the change from iron to steel.
The heavier the rails and the rest of the trackwork, the
heavier and faster the trains the track can carry.
 Rail (Cntd..)
Double headed rail section (Bull headed) were used to
extend the life of the rails by inverting the rail and
reusing it. However, later it was discovered that due to
the impact of the wheels the lower surface in contact
with the chairs got dented. This section was therefore
modified so that only the minimum required section
was kept at the bottom.
 Sleepers
Sleepers form a very important component of the
track laid across the rails. They serve the
following purpose:
Hold the rail to the required gauge
Provide a firm and even support to the rails
Transfer load from the rails to a large area of Ballast.
Absorbs the vibration and blows of the moving loads
by acting as an elastic medium b/w the rails and
ballast.
Provide stability to permanent way.
Provide for easy replacement of rail fastening.
 Sleeper types
Traditionally, ties have
been made of wood,
but concrete is now
widely used. Steel ties
and plastic composite
ties are currently used
as well, although far
less than wood or
concrete ties.
 Wooden Sleepers
Less cost requirement, they have the advantage of accepting
treatment more readily. Creosote treating can reduce insect
infestation and rot.
Problems with wood ties include rot, splitting, insect infestation,
plate-cutting (abrasive damage to the tie caused by lateral motion
of the tie plate) and spike-pull (where the spike is gradually worked
out and loosened from the tie).
 Concrete Sleepers
Concrete ties have become more common
mainly due to greater economy and better
support of the rails under high speed and
heavy traffic than wooden ties.
Much heavier to carry out operations.
 Sleeper Density
Definition: Number of sleeper per rail length
Noted as (M+x)
Where M= rail length , and x=number (4 to 7)

Sleeper density depends on

Axle load, Speed, Rail section, Sleeper type,
Ballast cushion, and Formation