Railroad Tracks Perspective On A Gloomy Day Stock Photo

Rail transport also known as train transport is a means of transferring passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are located on tracks. Track consists of two parallel steel rails, anchored perpendicular to members called sleepers ties of timber, concrete, steel, or plastic to maintain a consistent distance apart, or rail gauge. The track guides the conical, flanged wheels, keeping the cars on the track without active steering and therefore allowing trains to be much longer than road vehicles. The rails and ties are usually placed on a foundation made of compressed earth on top of which is placed a bed of ballast to distribute the load from the ties and to prevent the track from buckling as the ground settles over time under the weight of the vehicles passing above. Spikes in wooden ties can loosen over time, but split and rotten ties may be individually replaced with new wooden ties or concrete substitutes.