Railway Track

Railway Track

The railway track at Naval Activities consists of several basic elements. These elements include

the roadbed (ballast, subballast, and subgrade), ties, tie plates, rail, gauge rods, point guards, and

switches. There are also spikes to secure the rail and tie plate to the tie, joint bars, and nuts and

bolts to secure one rail section to another, and finally switch components such as frogs, switch

points, stock rail, switch ties, and switch stands. All trackage shall be certified in accordance

with the NAVFACINST 11230.1 series.

a. Track Components. See Figures 2-19 to 2-21 for illustrations of various track

structure components. The weight of a rail section is measured by pounds per yard. The gauge

of the track is measured 5/8 of an inch below the head of the rail and standard gauge is 56

inches. Rail specifications are stamped on the side of the rail. This includes manufacturer, date of

manufacturer, rail section designation (includes rail weight), and the manufacturing process.

2 - 20