cid 8bc06097475090654b937e71992f6b6f4e796a200d6b6583ab6408bd4ac27dae · original · open access · via wikipedia
Title: Railway track Authors: Venue: Wikipedia Year: unknown Canonical: wiki:railway-track URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_track Collector: wikipedia OA: true ABSTRACT Railway track (CwthE and UIC terminology) or railroad track (NAmE), also known as permanent way (per way) (CwthE) or "P way" (BrE and Indian English), is the structure on a railway consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers (railroad ties in American English) and ballast (or slab track), plus the underlying subgrade. It enables trains to move by providing a dependable, low-friction surface on which steel wheels can roll. Early tracks were constructed with wooden or cast-iron rails and wooden or stone sleepers. Since the 1870s, rails have almost universally been made from steel.