How To Buy Railroad Track?

Railroad track, also usually known as railway track or rail track, is an important part of railroad construction and transportation. The function of the railroad track is to guide the wheels of the rolling stock forward, bear the enormous pressure of the wheels, and transfer it to the sleeper. The rapid improvement of rolling stock has led to the increasing speed of trains and the increasing load on wheels. Correspondingly, the demand for better tracks has increased. To guarantee the safety and speed of trains, the purchase of the railroad track needs to be seriously considered at all times. Especially when you are a new buyer, you may have some confusion like “What kind of rail should I buy? Which manufacturer to choose?  How to check if the finished products up to standard?  “ Let’s discuss these items one by one.

Buy Railroad Track According To Different Application Fields

Railroad tracks have quite extensive application fields such as high-speed railway, ordinary railway, heavy haul track, gantry, etc.  Rails used in these fields varies. The high-speed railway tracks are mainly made of steel U75V, UIC700, UIC900A/1100, and U71Mn. High-speed rails’ strength reaches to 800-880Mpa, which is extremely tough and strong. The heavy haul track mainly applies rails that increase hardness to improve wear-resistance and anti-fatigue performance of rolling contact. High strength rails can achieve higher load-carrying capacity and longer service life. The ordinary railway uses relatively light in weight railroad tracks. Crane rail is specially used for gantries at the port, wharf.

Buy Railroad Track According To Rail Standards

A wide variety of railroad rails are supplied worldwide. Different standards on rails conform to different domestic demands.

• EN 13674-1:2011《Railway applications-Track-Rail Part1: Vignole railway rails 46kg/m and above》

Typical rails from the European standard: 60E1, 55E1, 54E1, 50E1, 49E1, 50E2, 49E2, 54E3, 50E4, 50E5, 50E6. A45, A55, A65, A75, A100, A120, A150. 

• JIS E 1101-2001 《Flat Bottom Railway Rails And Special Rails For Switches And Crossings Of Non-Treated Steel》

Typical rails from the Japanese Industrial Standards: JIS 22kg Rail, JIS 30kg Rail, JIS37A Rail, JIS50n Rail, CR73 Rail, CR100 Rail

• AS 1085.1《Railway Track Material Part 1:Steel Rails》

Typical rails from the Australian standard: 31 kg/m、41kg/m、50 kg/m、60 kg/m , 68 kg/m

• AREMA 2019 《Manual for Railway Engineering Section1 Design of Rail part1 Recommended Rail Section》

Typical rails from the AREMA standard: 115RE rail, 119RE rail, 132RE rail, 133RE rail, 136RE rail, 141RE rail

• ASCE (The American Society of Civil Engineers)

Typical rails from the ASCE Standard: ASCE25 rail, ASCE30 rail, ASCE40 rail, ASCE50 rail, ASCE60 rail, ASCE75 rail, ASCE85 rail

Buy Railway Track Based On Rail Specifications

Get to know the rail weight, and the dimension of the cross-section will help you pick the suitable products more quickly.

Rail weight

Rail weight to some extent determines the strength of rail. The axle loads and speed of trains are affected too. Rails are designated to different sizes according to the weight per yard/meter. Commonly, the heavier the railway track is, the heavier the load capacity it gains. Therefore, rail weight is the most prominent factor to notice when buying a railway track. Rails are supplied in theoretical weight. The density of 7.85g/cm³ was used to calculate the theoretical weight of the rail.

Rail Section

The basic dimensions of the cross-section are composed of the width of the head, hight, the width of the base. The following chart will show you the dimensions of different rail sections.

Choose A Professional Rail Track Supplier

Once the demand for rail in confirmed, it is upmost to choose a reliable rail manufacturer. Because the railway track is not an ordinary product, it needs absolute quality clearance. Trustworthy companies normally have passed authority certifications. The product quality is more assured and service is more professional.

It is advised to see the production workshop on site. Find out whether the rail track material conforms to industry standards, the production process is strictly controlled. Look at the finished products to see the real quality.

Tips For Checking The Railroad Track Quality

• Qualified finished products should have no cracks, scars, scratches, and other defects. The defects allowed on the overall surface of the rails and the degree of their geometric quantities shall not exceed the standard provisions. The composition of the high-quality rail track is even, the tonnage of the cold shear machine is high. Therefore the finished products show a smooth and neat cutting face and do not have shrinkage marks and interlayers. On the contrary, inferior products are not even or clean since their material has more Impurities and even shattered.

• Normal rails should be straight after rolling without significant bending or torsion. The local bending and torsion of the rails and the amount of their rectifying deformation, as well as the inclination of the end face of the rails, shall not exceed the standard provisions.