Why are there rocks on railroad tracks?

I am sure that someone out there knows the correct answer to this question, but I have been unable to find it after some google searching. Please reply to dr9f AT virginia DOT edu

[email protected]

Thanks!
David

The rocks are called (Ballast). It has numerous jobs:keeps the ties from moving around creating a solid bed, drainage, balast helps drain water nder the tracks so the water dont"puddle" under the tracks causing ties to rot or undermining the ballsat creaing sinkholes under tracks, causing unstable and unsfe track. Cant think of anything else can anything else i forgot please add thanks

I have put some of that ballast on the tracks and run it over with the train. The rocks crush and turn to dust. It's pretty cool.

-r

Gives a guy something to do when their board stiff, play with the rocks.

Be careful the rocks sometime become a projectile as fast as a bullet sometimes so please be careful

Gives the sweet children something to throw at hogheads poking their big hog faces out the window when they pass by.

LCJ wrote:Gives the sweet children something to throw at hogheads poking their big hog faces out the window when they pass by.

Yep, just their faces cause their big egotistical heads won't fit!!!

Just kidding of course cause nothing gets your attention faster than some ballast headed your way!!

thebigc wrote:Yep, just their faces cause their big egotistical heads won't fit!!!

Not to mention the part they sit on.

Back on topic, an interesting link:

http://www.rtands.com/oct99/ballast.html

LCJ wrote:
Not to mention the part they sit on.

LOL Another RR term for beans, time to slop the hog. Only one way to fix the bloated hoghead, Atkins.

Slop the hog -- I like that one.

I remember the first time, as a kid, I saw a real hog head. It was in the back of a farmer's pickup, facing up, looking like it was poking it's head out of the bed.

When I was an engineer I never thought of myself as looking like that!



HOG HEAD CHEESE

1 lg. hog head
1 1/2 tbsp. salt
Dash of red pepper
Dash of black pepper
1 onion
1 c. vinegar

Clean hog head by removing eyes, ears and brains (if there are any). Saw into 4 pieces. Put in large pot and boil until tender. Remove meat from broth. Pick out bones and cook onion until done in broth. Dip out onion and run meat and onion through food chopper. Mix in peppers, vinegar and salt, put in cheese cloth or (leg of panty hose works real well), hang, let drip overnight. Slice and enjoy. Refrigerate unused portion.

Be careful the rocks sometime become a projectile as fast as a bullet sometimes so please be careful

Yeah, I know. I was thinking about starting a web site:

www.stuffIranoverwithatrain.com

So far I've run over various items from the yard, railroad spikes, steel 5 gallon drums, rocks, car tire, water bottles, coolers, paint cans...

And some stuff I had on my person such as an alarm clock, can of coke, coins and an orange.

-r

I'll bet your mamma's really proud of you, too.

Here's a good link for you:

How To Keep an Idiot Busy

Thatnks for the game! it took me 5 minutes to beat it. what's my prize?

Success is its own reward!

razor wrote:

Be careful the rocks sometime become a projectile as fast as a bullet sometimes so please be careful

Yeah, I know. I was thinking about starting a web site:

www.stuffIranoverwithatrain.com

So far I've run over various items from the yard, railroad spikes, steel 5 gallon drums, rocks, car tire, water bottles, coolers, paint cans...

And some stuff I had on my person such as an alarm clock, can of coke, coins and an orange.

-r

The worst, at least for our passenger equipment, had to be those steel shopping carts. They do an incredible amount of damage to the brake apparatus.

I hit an engine block on the Pascack Valley once and this was located on a high fill. Imagine the energy expended putting an engine block in the gauge in a remote location. Our U-34-CH put it in the clear quickly.