A Summer Training Report On....

DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE WORKS

12th June- 9th July

RAJ KUMAR GOEL ENGINEERING COLLAGE, GHAZIABAD

A Project Report On

Railway Workshop

North Eastern Railway

DLW Workshop
(Varansi Division)
12th June 09th July 2015

Submitted By:

Submitted to:

Shivam Srivastava

Mr. Arun Kumar Yadav

B.Tech 4th Year (CE)

Senior Section Engineer

DLW, Workshop

RKGEC, Ghaziabad

Varanasi Cantt
Certificate

This is to certify that the report entitled DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE WORKS compiled by
Shivam Srivastava, under my supervision.

Mr. Arun Kumar Yadav

(Senior Section Engineer)
DLW, Workshop
Varanasi Cantt

Acknowledgements

I express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Arun Kumar Yadav, Project guide of my project
work who took been interested on my project work and guided me all along till the
completion of my project work.

The success and final outcome of this project required a lot of guidance and
assistance from many people of the bridge workshop and I am extremely fortunate to
have got all this all along the completion of this project work.
I am also greatly inbeated his, for his valuable suggestion in the preparation of the
paper.
Whatever I have done is only due to such guidance and assistance and I would not
forget to thank them.
Finaly, I greatful acknowledge my family member and my friends for their love,
support and constant encouragement during the study.

Shivam Srivastava
B.Tech 4th Year (CE)

Elements of Railway tracks

The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure
consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast (or slab track), plus the underlying
sub grade.

For clarity it is often referred to as railway track or railroad track.

Track Formation

The purpose of track is to transfer train loads to the formation.

Requirements for Choosing a Track System:Trains running on Track do not cause excessive environmental pollution in the form of noise and
ground vibration.
1. Costs of the total service life of the track must be as low as possible.
2. Maintenance should be low and as inexpensive as possible.

Load Bearing Function of the Track

The load transfer works on the principle of stress reduction - layer by layer.
1. The greatest stress occurs between wheel and rail and is in the order of 30 KN/cm2 (= 300
MPa).
2. Between rail and sleeper the stress is two orders smaller and diminishes between sleeper
and ballast bed down to about 30 N/cm2.
3. Finally the stress on the formation is only about 5 N/cm2.

Type of Railway System

(1) Urban Railway Transit:Urban rail transit is an all-encompassing term for various types of local rail systems
providing passenger service within and around urban or older suburban areas.
Types of Urban Railway Transit:-

a) Tram : Trams are systems that run mainly or completely along streets, with low capacity
and frequent stops. Passengers usually board at street- or curb-level.
b) Light Rail : Light rail is a relatively new term, as an outgrowth of trams/streetcars. Speeds
are usually higher, and articulated vehicles may be used to increase capacity.

c) Rapid Transit: A rapid transit, underground, subway, tube, elevated, or metro(politan)

system is a railwayusually in an urban areawith a high capacity and frequency of
service, and grade separation from other traffic.
d) Mono Rail: Monorail is a metro or railroad with a track consisting of a single rail (actually
a beam), as opposed to the traditional track with two parallel rails. Monorail vehicles are
wider than the beam they run on.

(1)

Suburban/Rural Railways:-

Suburb mostly refers to a residential area. They may be the residential areas of a city, or separate
residential communities within commuting distance of a city.

Types of Suburban Railway Transit:-

a) Regional/Commuter Rail : Commuter rail, also called suburban rail, is a passenger rail
transport service between a city center, and outer suburbs and commuter towns or other
locations that draw large numbers of commuterspeople who travel on a daily basis.
Regional rail or commuter rail runs on trackage often shared with intercity rail and freight
trains
b) Intercity Rail: Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that cover longer
distances than commuter or regional trains.
c) Freight Trains: A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars (US) or goods
wagons (UIC) hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting
cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain.

Rail Joints

Mechanical Rail Joints

Fish Plate Joints
Flash Butt Welding
Alumino Thermit Welding
Insulated Rail Joints

Rail mechanical joints have been used in the railway industry to improve the lateral and vertical
alignment of the rails at their ends.

Running Rails
Modern track typically uses hot rolled steel with a profile of an asymmetrical rounded I-beam.
Unlike some other uses of iron and steel, railway rails are subject to very high stresses and have
to be made of very high-quality steel alloy. It took many decades to improve the quality of the
materials, including the change from iron to steel. The heavier the rails and the rest of the track
work, the heavier and faster the trains the track can carry.

Types of running rails: Flat bottom rail

Duble headed rail
Bull headed rail

Flat bottom rail

Flanged T rail (also called T-section) is the name for flat bottomed rail used in North-America.
Iron-strapped wooden rails were used on all American railways until 1831. Col. Robert L.
Stevens, the President of the Camden and Amboy Railroad, conceived the idea that an all-iron
rail would be better suited for building a railroad. There were no steel mills in America capable
of rolling long lengths, so he sailed to England which was the only place where his flanged T rail
(also called T-section) could be rolled.
Railways in England had been using rolled rail of other cross-sections which the ironmasters had
produced. In May 1831, the first 500 rails, each 15 feet (4.6 m) long and weighing 36 pounds per
yard (17.9 kg/m), reached Philadelphia and were placed in the track, marking the first use of the
flanged T rail. Afterwards, the flanged T rail became employed by all railroads in the United
States.
Col. Stevens also invented the hooked spike for attaching the rail to the crosstie (or sleeper). At
the present time, the screw spike is being used widely in place of the hooked spike.
When it became possible to preserve wooden sleepers with mercuric chloride (a process called
Kyanising) and creosote, they gave a much quieter ride than stone blocks and it was possible to
fasten the rails directly using clips or rail spikes. Their use spread worldwide and acquired
Vignoles' name.

Cross section of new

flat bottomed rail

Duble headed rail:In late 1830s England, railway lines had a vast range of different patterns. One of the earliest
lines to use double-headed rail was the London and Birmingham Railway, which had offered a
prize for the best design. This rail was supported by chairs and the head and foot of the rail had
the same profile. The supposed advantage was that, when the head became worn, the rail could
be turned over and re-used. In practice, this form of recycling was not very successful as the
chair caused dents in the lower surface, and double-headed rail evolved into bullhead rail in
which the head was more substantial than the foot.

Bull headed rail:Bullhead rail was the standard for the British railway system from the mid-19th until the mid20th century. For example, in 1954 bullhead rail was used for 449 miles (723 km) of new track
and flat-bottom for 923 miles (1,485 km).[15] One of the first British Standards, BS 9, was for

bullhead rail - it was originally published in 1905, and revised in 1924. Rails manufactured to the
1905 standard were referred to as "O.B.S." (Original), and those manufactured to the 1924
standard as "R.B.S." (Revised). Bullhead rail is similar to double-headed rail except that the
profile of the head of the rail is not the same as that of the foot. Bullhead rail evolved from
double-headed rail but, because it did not have a symmetrical profile, it was never possible to flip
it over and use the foot as the head. Therefore, because the rail no longer had the originallyperceived benefit of reusability, it was a very expensive method of laying track. Heavy cast iron
chairs were needed to support the rail, which was secured in the chairs by wooden (later steel)
wedges or "keys" which required regular attention.
Bullhead rail has now been almost completely replaced by flat-bottom rail on British railways,
although it survives on the national rail system in some sidings or branch lines. The London
Underground continued to use bullhead rail after it had been phased out elsewhere in Britain, but
in the last few years has there been a concerted effort to convert its track to flat-bottom rail.,
however the process of replacing track in tunnels is a slow process due to the impossibility of
using heavy plant and machinery.

Crossection of rails

Rail Joints
Rails are produced in fixed lengths and need to be joined end-to-end to make a continuous
surface on which trains may run. The traditional method of joining the rails is to bolt them
together using metal fishplates, producing jointed track. For more modern usage, particularly

where higher speeds are required, the lengths of rail may be welded together to form continuous
welded rail (CWR).

Types of Rail Joints:

Fish Plate Joints

Flash Butt Welding
Alumino Thermit Welding
Insulated Rail Joints

Fish Plate Joints:In rail terminology, a fishplate, splice bar or joint bar is a metal bar that is bolted to the ends of
two rails to join them together in a track. The name is derived from fish, a wooden bar with a
curved profile used to strengthen a ship's mast. The top and bottom edges are tapered inwards so
the device wedges itself between the top and bottom of the rail when it is bolted into place.[2] In
rail transport modelling, a fishplate is often a small copper or nickel silver plate that slips onto
both rails to provide the functions of maintaining alignment and electrical continuity.

Flash Butt Welding: Mobile Flash Butt Welding Group is dedicated to performing high quality welds and to
meet all the client needs.
Alstoms latest arrival mobile welder, the Schlatter AMS100 series that has been equipped
with the new state-of-the-art intelligent control and weld management system.
In-Track Welding Equipment provides versatility and reliability in any rail welding
project.

Alumino Thermit Welding: In this process, the highly exothermic reaction between aluminium and iron
oxides results in the production of molten steel which is poured into a mould
around the gap to be welded.
Thermit is the trade name for one of the granular mixtures of aluminium
metal and powdered ferric oxide. Ignition of the Thermit is usually carried out
by lighting a magnesium ribbon or sparkler.

Insulated Rail Joints:Insulated Rail Joints (IRJs) provide rail track joins with structural stability while maintaining
electric circuit integrity for track-based signal systems. Unfortunately, IRJs also have the shortest
mean service life out of all railway track components and constitute a major maintenance issue.
Increased heavy haul and urban transport demands put increased tonnage pressure on the IRJ
links in the track system. The CRC research is investigating a new IRJ design to improve
performance and durability.

Sleepers
In 1877, Joseph Monier, a French gardener, suggested that concrete reinforced with steel could
be used for making sleepers for railway track. Monier designed a sleeper and obtained a patent
for it, but it was not successful.
Concrete sleepers were first used on the Alford and Sutton Tramway in 1884. Their first use on a
main line railway was by the Reading Company in America in 1896, as recorded by AREA
Proceedings at the time. Designs were further developed and the railways of Austria and Italy
used the first concrete sleepers around the turn of the 20th century. This was closely followed by
other European railways.
Major progress was not achieved until World War II, when the timbers used for sleepers were
scarce due to competition from other uses, such as mines.[1] Following research carried out on
French and other European railways, the modern pre-stressed concrete sleeper was developed.
Heavier rail sections and long welded rails were also being installed, requiring higher-quality

sleepers. These conditions spurred the development of concrete sleepers in France, Germany and
Britain, where the technology was perfected.
The 1 ft 11 12 in (597 mm) gauge Lynton and Barnstaple Railway (1898 to 1935) in North
Devon, experimented with concrete sleepers at a number of locations along the line. As the
sleepers were cast to gauge, they were of little use outside the station areas on this very
curvaceous line where gauge slackening was commonly required. They were also noisy and
lacked the elasticity of wooden sleepers creating a very rigid road.[2] Some of those concrete
sleepers can now be seen on display at Woody Bay Station.

Railway Sleepers
Depending upon the position in a railway track, sleepers may be classified as:-These are the early form of sleepers which are not commonly used nowadays
Longitudinal Sleepers:
It consists of slabs of stones or pieces of woods placed parallel to and underneath the rails.
To maintain correct gauge of the track, cross pieces are provided at regular intervals.
At present this type of sleepers are discarded mainly because of the following reasons.
Running of the train is not smooth when this type of sleepers is used.
Noise created by the track is considerable.
Cost is high.
Transverse Sleepers: Transverse sleepers introduced in 1835 and since then they are universally
used.
Timber/wooden sleepers
Steel sleepers
Cast Iron Sleepers
Concrete Sleeper

Timber Sleepers
The salient features of timber/wooden sleepers with advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of Timber Sleepers:-

 They are much useful for heavy loads and high speeds.
They have long life of 10-12 years depending upon the climate, condition, rain, intensity,
nature of traffic, quality of wood etc.
Good insulators and hence good for track circuited railway tracks.
They are able to accommodate any gauge.
Suitable for salty regions and coastal areas.
Can be used with any section of rail.
Can be handled and placed easily.
They are not badly damaged in case of derailment.
They are not corroded.
Cheaper than any other types of sleepers.

Disadvantages of Timber Sleepers:

Liable to be attacked by vermin so, they must be properly treated before use.

Liable to catch fire.

They do not resist creep.

They are affected by dry and wet rot.

Become expensive day by day.

Life is shorter compare to others.

Steel sleepers:They are in the form of steel trough inverted on which rails are fixed directly by keys or nuts and
bolts and used along sufficient length of tracks.
Advantages of Steel Sleepers:

Have a useful life of 20-25 years.

Free from decay and are not attacked by vermins.

Connection between rail and sleeper is stronger.

Connection between rail and sleeper is simple.

More attention is not required after laying.

Having better lateral rigidity.

Good scrap value.

Suitable for high speeds and load.

Easy to handle.

Good resistance against creep.

Disadvantages of Steel sleepers:

Liable to corrosion by moisture and should not because in salty regions.

Good insulators and hence cannot be used in track circuited regions.

Cannot be used for all sections of rails and gauges.

Should not be laid with any other types of ballast except store.

Very costly.

Can badly damaged under derailments.

Way gauge is obtained if the keys are over driven.

The rail seat is weaker.

Having good shock absorber as there is not cushion between rail foot and ballast.

Cast Iron Sleepers: They consist of two pots or plates with rib and connected by wrought iron tie bar of
section of about 2" " each pot or plate is placed below each rail. The pot is oval in
shape with larger diameter 2'-0" and smaller diameter 1'-8" is preferred.
Plate sleepers consist of rectangular plates of size about 2' 10' x 1' 0".
The relative advantages and disadvantages are given below.

Advantages of Cast Iron Sleepers:

Long life up to 50-60 years- High scrape value as they can be remolded

Can be manufactured locally - Provided sufficient bearing area

Much stronger at the rail seat - Prevent and check creep of rail

They are not attacked by vermin.

Disadvantages Cast Iron Sleepers:

They are prone to corrosion and cannot be used in salty formations and coastal areas Not suitable for track circuited portions of railways.

Can badly damage under derailment.

Difficult to maintain the gauge as the two pots are independent.

Require a large number of fastening materials - Difficult to handle and may be easily
damaged - Lack of good shock absorber - They are expensive.

Concrete Sleeper
R.C.C and pre-stressed concrete sleepers are now replacing all other types of sleepers
except to some special circumstances such as crossing bridges etc here timber sleepers are
used.
They were first of all used in France round about in 1914 but are common since 1950.
They may be a twin block sleepers joined by an angle iron. It may be a single block prestressed type.

Advantages Concrete Sleepers

Durable with life range from 40-50 years.
They can be produced on large quantities locally by installing a plant.
Heavier than all other types thus giving better lateral stability to the track.
Good insulators and thus suitable for use in track circuited lines.
Efficient in controlling creep - They are not attacked by corrosion.
Free from attacks of vermin and decay, suitable for all types of soils.
Most suitable for welded tracks- Prevent buckling more efficiently.
Initial cost is high but proves to be economical in long run.
Effectively and strongly hold the track to gauge.
Inflammable and fire resistant.

Disadvantages Concrete Sleepers: Difficult to be handled.

Difficult to be manufactured in different sizes thus cannot be used in bridges and crossing.
Can be damaged easily while loading and unloading.

Fastenings
The fastening of rails is usually taken care of by the fasteners imbedded into the concrete.

Switches & Crossings (Turnouts)

Rail Gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two
load bearing rails that make up a single railway line.
Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 in). Wider
gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge.
Break-of-gauge refers to the meeting of different gauges. Some stretches of track are dual
gauge, with three or four rails, allowing trains of different gauges to share them.
An exception of a railway with no gauge is monorail where there is only one supporting
rail.
Gauge tolerances specify how much the actual gauge may vary from the nominal gauge.

For example, the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration specifies that the actual gauge of
track that is rated for a maximum of 60 mph (96.6 km/h) must be between 4 ft 8 in (1,422
mm) and 4 ft 9 in.

Types of Gauges
The standard gauge (also named the Stephenson gauge after George Stephenson, or
normal gauge) is a widely-used track gauge.
Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge.

Except for Russia and Finland, all high-speed lines have been built to this gauge.

The distance between the inside edges of the rails of standard gauge track is usually called
1,435 mm but in the United States it is still called 4 ft 8 in.
Broad gauge refers to any gauge wider than standard gauge or 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in).
Russian, Indian, Irish, and Iberian gauges are all broad gauges. Broad gauge railways are
also common for cranes in docks for short distances. Broad gauge is used to provide better
stability or to prevent the easy transfer of rolling stock from railroads of other countries for
political or military reasons.
In many areas narrow gauge railways have been built. As the gauge of a railway is
reduced the costs of construction can also be reduced since narrow gauges allow a smaller
radius curves allowing obstacles to be avoided rather than having to be built over or
through (valleys and hills); the reduced cost is particularly noticeable in mountainous
regions.
Different gauges, from left: 1435mm.
1000mm and 600mm, on display at Chinese.
Railways Museum.
The most widely used narrow gauges are: 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Cape gauge.
1,000 mm (3 ft 3 38 in) meter gauge).
762 mm (2 ft 6 in).
When a railway line of one gauge meets a line of another gauge there is a break of gauge.
A break of gauge adds cost and inconvenience to traffic that passes from one system to
another.
Dual gauge allows trains of different gauges to share the same track.

Ballast
Definition:

It is a layer of broken stones, gravel or any other such gritty material laid and packed below and
around sleepers.

Functions of ballast:
To distribute the loads uniformly over the subgrade.
To provide good drainage for the track structure.
To provide elasticity and resilience to track for getting proper riding comfort.
To held the track structure to line and grade.
To reduce dust.
To prevent growth of brush and weeds.
A good ballast should be strong, hard-wearing, stable, drainable, easy to clean, workable,
resistant to deformation, easily available, and reasonably cheap to purchase.

Early railway engineers did not understand the importance of quality track ballast; they
would use cheap and easily-available materials such as ashes, chalk, clay, earth, and even
cinders from locomotive fireboxes.

It was soon clear that good-quality ballast made of rock was necessary if there was to be a
good foundation and adequate drainage.
Requirements of Good Ballast: It should be tough and should not crumble under heavy loads.
It should not make the track dusty or muddy.
It should offer resistance to abrasion and weathering.
It should not produce any chemical reaction with rails and sleepers.
The materials should be easily workable.
It should retain its position and should not be distributed.

Railroad switch

 A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway
trains to be guided from one track to another, such as at a railway junction or where a spur
or siding branches off.
A switch generally has a straight "through" track (such as the main-line) and a diverging
route. The handedness of the installation is described by the side that the diverging track
leaves. Right-hand switches have a diverging path to the right of the straight track, when
coming from the narrow end and a left-handed switch has the diverging track leaving to
the opposite side.
A straight track is not always present; for example, both tracks may curve, one to the left
and one to the right (such as for a wye switch) or both tracks may curve, with differing
radii, in the same direction.

Components of switch
A pair of stock rail.
A Pair of tongue rail.
Heel Block.
Stretcher bar.
Slide Chair.

A pair of stock rail:The switch consists of the pair of linked tapering rails, known as points (switch rails or point
blades), lying between the diverging outer rails (the stock rails). These points can be moved
laterally into one of two positions to direct a train coming from the point blades toward the
straight path or the diverging path. A train moving from the narrow end toward the point blades
(i.e. it will be directed to one of the two paths depending on the position of the points) is said to
be executing a facing-point movement.
Unless the switch is locked, a train coming from either of the converging directs will pass
through the points onto the narrow end, regardless of the position of the points, as the vehicle's
wheels will force the points to move. Passage through a switch in this direction is known as a
trailing-point movement.
A switch generally has a straight "through" track (such as the main-line) and a diverging route.
The handedness of the installation is described by the side that the diverging track leaves. Righthand switches have a diverging path to the right of the straight track, when coming from the point
blades, and a left-handed switch has the diverging track leaving to the opposite side.

A Pair of tongue rail:-

Heel Block:A switch heel block, which may be a casting or a fabricated structure made by welding tough
rolled steel components together, or bolting rolled bars together is a rigid structure for
maintaining the gage at the heel end of a switch and is designed to keep the closure rail and
switch point in correct alignment both vertically and horizontally. A switch heel block comprises
a plurality of parts, i.e. joint bars or plates, bolts and struts and/or thimbles welded between the
bars. Since these parts are manufactured in the shop and sent to the field for assembly it is
essential that bolt holes be accurately located for proper alignment. On occasion the holes are out
of location and/or contain burrs from the drilling operation. The field assembly of the heel block
parts is difficult when the holes in the bars and rail webs do not line up accurately requiring
additional field work, i.e. reaming the holes and welding struts to insure perfect alignment of the
bolts through the bars and rail webs.

Stretcher bar:The installation roll-out of Network Rails new tubular stretcher bars has been delayed. Chief
executive Mark Carne raised the issue at a recent board meeting, with Network Rails minutes
stating that there had been design faults on the shallow depth stretcher bars, and the
coordination and timing of the installation was complex. The function of a stretcher bar is to
keep the two rails in a railway switch a defined distance apart at all times and to ensure that both
rails move simultaneously as a coupled pair when commanded. The failure of stretcher bars can,
in extreme circumstances, lead to the derailment of a train, as has occurred at Potters Bar and
Grayrigg in the past.

Slide Chair:The aim of installing slide chairs in points is to reduce friction and the need for lubrication. The
balls are fitted in the workshop, to ensure they are perfectly positioned in new devices. For
existing track equipment, the slide chairs can be replaced. The balls consist of a solid, hardened
steel casing, balls, and a felt washer to protect from dust. The switch is lifted on hardened steel
balls which guide its travel and reduce mechanical stress.

Turnout
A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to
be guided from one track to another, such as at a railway junction or where a spur or siding
branches off.
Whether you are looking for switches for industrial tracks, mainline turnouts, or light trackwork
for mining and tunneling, we have the turnout materials to fit your needs. The designs shown in
this section are the most commonly specified, but we can also custom fabricate or modify to your
exact specifications. Turnouts for mining and tunneling applications can be pre-assembled and
mounted on steel ties, or they can be shipped in components for assembly on site.

Standard Gage Turnouts (freight railroads and industrial tracks)

We have a large inventory of new and used turnout materials. In new frogs, we carry both SMSG
(solid manganese self-guarded) and RBM (rail bound manganese) in common rail sizes and frog
numbers. A great variety of used frogs of all types and sizes are available. We also have a large
variety of new and used switch points, guard rails, switch stands and plating. We often provide a
turnout that is a mixture of new and reconditioned components which gives customers an
economical turnout without sacrificing quality.
Harmer Steels reconditioning of used track work is of the highest quality in the industry. Our
welders have years of experience and we are perfectionists! We dont just make it look better,
we ensure all potential weak areas are thoroughly repaired and any cracks are completely
removed and filled-in with good metal. We follow proper welding and cooling procedures, pay
attention to straightness, and make sure points, flange ways and other critical areas are carefully
examined.
We pride ourselves on fast service. We can often ship a complete turnout in less than a week
rather than the typical six to eight weeks that is common in the industry. We have component
parts and hard-to-find items on-hand that can be shipped promptly.

Narrow Gage Light Rail Turnouts (mining, tunneling & other applications)
Harmer Steel has years of experience manufacturing frogs, switch points and special trackwork
for the mining and tunneling industry. We are also an experienced supplier to miniature railroads
for zoos, theme parks and private railroads all over North America.
Our preassembled turnouts utilizing steel ties are very popular. These turnouts provide many
advantages. They are constructed by experienced personnel in a controlled shop environment
which ensures quality and consistency. Rail is securely and accurately clipped to proper gage on
steel ties. This not only provides a better quality, more durable turnout, but also eliminates costly
on-site labor expense. Give us your parameters and we can make CAD drawings showing
detailed geometry for your review and approval.

Animated Diagram
of right hand rail road

Points And Crossings

The arrangements by which different routes, diverging from the first track, are connected to
faciliate the diversion of trains from one track to another track without any obstruction are known
as points and crossings.
A complete set of points and crossings provides for diverting the trains from a main track to a
branch track is known as turn out.

Types of Points And Crossings:-

 Left hand
Right Hand

Crossing
A crossing or frog is a device introduced at the point where two gauge faces cross each
other to permit the flanges of a railway vehicle to pass from one track to another.
A gap is provided from throw to the nose of crossing
Check rails assures the correct movement and guides the wheels properly.

Crossing Components
2 Rails Point rail, Splice rail are joined
These are machined to form a nose.
The point rail has its fine end slightly cut off to form a blunt nose, with a thickness of 6
mm (1/4").
The toe of the blunt nose is called the actual nose of crossing (ANC) and the theoretical
point where gauge faces from both sides intersect is called the theoretical nose of crossing
(TNC).
The V rail is planed to a depth of 6 mm (1/4") at the nose and runs out in 89 mm to stop a
wheel running in the facing direction from hitting the nose.

 Two wing rails consisting of a right-hand and a left-hand wing rail that converge to form a
throat and diverge again on either side of the nose.
Wing rails are flared at the ends to facilitate the entry and exit of the flanged wheel in the
gap.
A pair of check rails are used to guide the wheels.

Types of Crossing:Based on the angle of crossing

Acute angle crossing: (or V crossing)
2 rail gauge faces cross at acute angle
Obtuse angle or Diamond crossing
2 gauge faces meet at obtuse angle
Square crossing
Two tracks cross at right angles
For manufacturing purposes:-

 Built up crossing:
2 wing rails, a V section consisting of point and splice rails are assembled together
by means of bolts and distance blocks to form a crossing.
Low cost
Easy to place and repair.
Bolts require frequent checking.
If wear is more than 10mm renewal required.
Cast steel crossing: One piece crossing with no bolts and require little maintenance.
More rigid as it is one single piece.
High initial cost
High maintenance cost
Replaced by Cast Manganese Steel crossings these days
Combined rail and cast crossing: Combination of built up and cast steel crossing
Consists of a cast steel nose finished to ordinary rail faces.
CMS Crossings: Due to heavy loads and traffic, normal manganese rails are quickly wearing out
CMS crossings possess high strength, high resistance to wear, longer life.
Avg life of CMS crossing is 4 times that of built up crossing
CMS crossings are free from bolts and other components which normally get loose
as a result of traffic.
High initial cost, but less maintenance.
Standardized in Indian Railways.