| |
| | [No title] (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06) |
 | | Rail tracks are normally laid on a bed of coarse stone chippings known as ballast, which combines resilience, some amount of flexibility, and good drainage; however, track can also be laid on or into concrete (across bridges, for example). |
 | | Small gaps are deliberately left between the rails, which are known as "expansion joints" to allow for expansion of the rails in hot weather, the holes through which the fishplate bolts pass are oval to allow for expansion. |
 | | Joints are used in continuously welded rail when necessary, though; instead of a joint that passes straight across the rail, producing a loud noise and shock when the wheels pass over it, two sections of rail are cut at a steep angle and put together with a gap between them. |
| wikiwhat.com /encyclopedia/r/ra/rail_tracks.html (923 words) |
|