Similar to pebbles, but larger, angular, sharp-edged and cube-broken “ballast” It is especially preferred by railway engineers because of the advantages of both its shape and size.

Basalt, granite, syenite, porphyry or hard limestone While these stones may not seem to have such an important job, they actually have jobs that make train travel safer.

With this machine you can see that new stones are poured and compacted at regular intervals.

ballasts; It prevents direct contact of the rails with the ground and prevents spoilage that can occur from mud and frost. They prevent the train load from ending up in soft ground, so that the ground does not collapse and There are no slopes on the rails. The frequency of stones is higher on high-speed lines.

Below the rails are several layers and the ballasts support these layers.

The integrity of the line actually starts from the ground up. The downward slope reduces the possibility of water accumulation on the rails and makes the drainage of the water easier. Otherwise the tracks would rust, the ground would loosen and the planks would rot. Sometimes an elastic mat is also placed in the bottom ballast layer and under the ballast.

Thanks to these stones, no plants can grow on the rails.

Otherwise, as the roots of the plants grow, slowly moves the rails, This can even derail the train. In addition, since there are vibrations on the rails, it is difficult to grow plants in this area. To guarantee the work, for this reason, it is also occasionally sprayed.

When the railroad passes through wetlands, plants that absorb a lot of water, such as eucalyptus, are planted at the edges so that Damage to the rails by water is prevented. In fact, there has been a train accident in our country in recent years due to destruction by water. Unfortunately, this “negligence” has resulted in many deaths.

Pointed and angular stones also ensure that the rails and connections remain narrow and straight.

If they were slippery and slippery like the rocks on the beaches, the vibrations of the trains would make them run over each other. they would be lost. Stones that stick together with their rough edges can stay where they are. This ensures that the rails remain intact – using large nails, metal clips and planks, of course.

Sources: Science ABC, Wikipedia, Dergipark, insapedia