We all have seen stones on railway tracks but do you know why they are placed there? Find out what they are called and why they are used.
Crushed stones on railway tracks are called track ballast and they help keep the train tracks in place.
Track ballast is the collective term for the crushed stones on railway tracks. They form the trackbed and are packed around railway tracks.
What is track ballast?
They form the ground for the railway sleepers which are used to keep the railway tracks upright and properly spaced.
A railway sleeper is also called a railroad tie or a crosstie. Sleepers used to be made of wood earlier but now they are mainly created with pre-stressed concrete.
Track ballast cannot be made with any kind of stone. The sharp edges stones are used on railway tracks for track ballast.
The stones don’t allow vegetation to grow on railway tracks which could weaken the ground on which the railway lines run.