Question - What Is Railroad Track Ballast?
Answer -
That being said railroad track ballast is the cover for the subgrade. Ballast has several functions:
- It enables water to drain from the track.
- It assists in helping control the thermal expansion of continues welded rail.
- As a train passes the rails, it supports the train.
- It distributes the weight of the train from the track structure to the sub grade.
- Maintains a smooth running surface for the train to run on.
As ballast becomes contaminated with other materials, it looses its ability to do some or all of these jobs.