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Rail tracks - Jointed track

Rail tracks - Jointed track: Encyclopedia II - Rail tracks - Jointed track

There are different ways of joining rails together to form tracks. The traditional way of doing this was to bolt rails together in what is known as jointed track. In this form of track, lengths of rail, usually around 20 metres (60 feet) long, are laid and fixed to sleepers (U.K.) (crossties, or simply ties in North American practice), and are joined to other lengths of rail with steel plates known as fishp ...

Rail tracks: Encyclopedia II - Rail tracks - Jointed track

Rail tracks - Jointed track

There are different ways of joining rails together to form tracks. The traditional way of doing this was to bolt rails together in what is known as jointed track. In this form of track, lengths of rail, usually around 20 metres (60 feet) long, are laid and fixed to sleepers (U.K.) (crossties, or simply ties in North American practice), and are joined to other lengths of rail with steel plates known as fishplates (U.K.) or joint bars (N.A.).

Historically, North American railroads until the mid to late 20th century used sections of rail that measured 39 feet (11.9 m) long so they could be carried to and from a worksite in conventional gondolas, which often measured 40 feet (12.2 m) long; as car sizes increased, so did rail lengths.

Fishplates or joint bars are usually 60 centimetres (2 feet) long, and are bolted through each side of the rail ends with bolts (usually four, but sometimes up to six). Small gaps are deliberately left between the rails, which are known as "expansion joints" to allow for expansion of the rails in hot weather. The holes through which the fishplate bolts pass are oval to allow for expansion.

British practice was always to have the rail joints on both rails at the same place on each rail, while North American practice is to stagger them.

Because of the small gaps left between the rails, when trains pass over jointed tracks they make a "clickety clack, clickety clack" noise. Unless it is very well maintained, jointed track gives a fairly bumpy and uncomfortable ride, and is unsuitable for high speed trains because it is too weak. However it is still used in many countries on lower speed lines, unimportant lines, and sidings. Most railroad track in the United States is still of this type, however, and laid on timber ties; the lower speeds of American railroads make the disadvantages less apparent, and the abundant supply of timber in the United States makes its use for railroad ties much cheaper than in Europe.

Jointed track is still extensively used in poorer countries, due to the cheaper construction costs and lack of modernisation of their railway systems.