What are the typical placement specifications for check rails or guard rails?

18-07-2019

Wheel flanges on IR are typically about 28mm thick (new). The distance between the inner faces of wheels is typically 1600mm (BG). Check rails used to prevent wheels from climbing the rails at sharp curves are kept at a distance of about 44mm-48mm from the outer rail, allowing about 4mm tolerance for wear on the check rails. Check rails at level crossings (intended to keep a gap in place for the wheels to pass through where the tracks cross the road surface) are typically placed to provide a gap of 51mm-57mm. This allows sufficient lateral movement or play for the wheels, but is small enough not to trap the feet of cattle or cause other problems for the road traffic. Source -

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Are there any rail connections to Sri Lanka from India?
July 1, 2019

There was a rail link to Sri Lanka from India until 1964, with services from Madras to Colombo (the Indo-Ceylon Express). From Madras Egmore passengers took the Rameshwaram Exp. (then known as the "Boat Mail"). The MG track went through Pamban and reached a pier at Dhanushkodi, the southern tip of the island of Rameshwaram and about 27km from the

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What weights and kinds of rails does IR use?
July 1, 2019

The IRS standard for most mainline tracks is 52kg/m (really 51.89kg/m, 105lb/yd), and it allows 25-ton axle loads. Until about 1970, most sections had RBS standard rails of 44.7kg/m (90lb/yd). The RBS standard had been adopted in 1914, and allowed 22.5-ton axle loads at 100km/h. It is still found in many places. For sections with heavy traffic,

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What is ‘Scale R’ or ‘Scale S’, etc., in the context of parcel service?
July 1, 2019

IR has several freight rate scales for parcel traffic. Scale R or Rajdhani Parcel Service is applicable to parcels carried on the Rajdhani Express trains and thereby being assured of the speediest delivery of all IR's services. Scale P (Premium Parcel Service) applies to parcels carried on certain Shatabdi Express trains, certain other

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Are there trains that bifurcate or are re-formed en route?
July 1, 2019

There are several trains which split/amalgamate at a junction, Example: the 6635 Dn Netravati Exp from Kurla (Mumbai) used to work as one train upto Shoranur Jn in Kerala, thereafter one half of the train went as 6635A to Mangalore and the rest went as 6635B to Cochin. This trains now runs through Konkan Railways and hence does not spilt up at

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What about other periodicals Year Book of Railway?
June 30, 2019

The Railways Year Book is published annually and has a compilation of IR statistics and information on all aspects of IR. Urban Railways is a bi-annual publication covering various issues relating to railways in India. (Approximate annual subscription is INR 100 / US $20 with additional charges depending on delivery method.) Transport Track is

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What is Project Unigauge
June 30, 2019

Historically, India has had many different railway gauges in different sections, and some sections have changed gauges (sometimes several times back and forth) depending on perceived economic and operational requirements. However, maintaining multiple gauges leads to inefficiencies at transshipment points, etc., so in recent years there's been a

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