Choosing the right rail types for your train project is critical to your budget and safety. Rails used for the wrong application can become damaged and require repair more often and, in worst-case scenarios, lead to train damage or derailments.
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Keep reading to get our expert advice on selecting the best rail type for your train project.
Is your rail project being built for a specific train or rail car type? Your choice of rails will depend on their use. High-speed rail has vastly different specifications and safety considerations compared to light rail lines.
For example, when building high-speed lines, you’ll likely choose steel tracks because they’re durable (their strength can reach 800+ Mpa) and can withstand high speeds and higher load capacity. As a result, these tracks are also more wear-resistant and may have a longer service life.
Standard rail lines can make use of lighter-weight rails. Crane rails are commonly used for tramways or light rail operations.
Read our Tee Rail Ordering Guide or Crane Rail Ordering Guide for more details.
You can choose between new or relay rails depending on their intended use. Relay rails are good-quality or refurbished old rails commonly acceptable for sidings and guardrails.
Rails often start as new, and when they’re not within the usage parameter for a mainline, they’re known as relay rails and may be suitable for relocation to secondary route lines. Upon further wear, they may no longer be suited for this use but can be used in sidings or yard tracks.
After they’re no longer suitable for this tertiary use, they’re decommissioned and sold as scrap metal.
To determine if your intended use is suitable for relay rails, ask these six questions:
Read more about the difference between new and relay rails on our blog.
No matter what rails you choose, you must ensure they conform to your domestic standards. Rails usually meet these common standards:
Within these standards, there are specific standards and ratings for rails. In the ASCE grades, you can expect:
For higher-grade rails ideal for high-speed transportation, look for ARA-A rails and ARA-B rails for heavy loads and slower speeds.
Rails come in various shapes and dimensions. Knowing your dimensions is critical to ensure they fit your existing rails and intended line use.
It’s essential to know four key measurements (in millimetres):
In addition, please know your nominal weight needs (in kg/m) and the length of metres you need. Typically, rails come in various lengths, from 6 to 25 metres.
There are many places to purchase your tracks but look for one that’s reliable and supplies high-quality parts. Ensure that their tracks meet industry requirements.
Upon delivery, your rails should be free of cracks, scars, scratches, or other visible defects beyond industry-accepted tolerances. Ensure they are free of unnecessary bending, torsion, or other deformities.
For more Heavy Steel Rail Manufacturerinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.
When you choose your rails, you can often choose standard sizes or order something custom for your needs. Orders are typically placed by piece (for stock), per foot, or per net ton.
In order to find the right railing, you’ll need to consider your options in regard to materials, configuration and application. We’ll give you information on these points and offer some additional thoughts on other characteristics and current trends. Both residential and commercial railings will need to follow the safety code of your country. Railings add aesthetic appeal as well, so be sure to consider the decorative side while searching for the perfect railing.
The most common materials used to produce railings are metal, glass and wood; however, you can also consider selecting a railing made of stone, plastic, composite and other materials. We will focus our attention on metal, glass and wood.
Glass railings offer a pleasant aesthetic experience as they give you visibility of the surrounding environment. Manufacturers are able to treat the glass in order to reduce the number of accumulated water spots; they can also add lighting and color tints as well as etched designs. However, glass railings may need frequent cleaning and can be rather expensive.
The glass panels are accompanied by aluminum rail posts. Tempered glass is not prone to surface cracking when exposed to extreme temperatures, unlike hardwood railings.
PRO: Optimal safety, little or no water spots, will not crack
CON: May require frequent cleaning, expensive
There are a number of different types of wood used to produce wood railings, most of which offer a classic, elegant and economic option. However, not all manufacturers supply wood railings. This might be because they are prone to damage easily and require frequent maintenance—stains or paints will need to be applied annually.
Commonly used woods are cypress, mahogany, pine, oak and maple. An advantage to using these woods is the warm aesthetic impact that the stained wood grain gives.
PRO: Natural look, inexpensive
CON: High maintenance, susceptible to decay, warping and bowing
A lot of manufacturers have a railing design app so you can play around with the various configurations. Although you can find configurations which involve cables, perforated metal sheets and wire mesh; most railings are configured as bars or panels.
The bar configuration can be used for smaller or larger applications while the panel configuration will typically be used for larger applications and offer a higher degree of safety. They can both be fixed to stairways, balconies, patios, mezzanines, platforms, windows, decks, around swimming pools, and beyond.
There are three ways to mount railings: fascia, surface and wall. In architecture, the fascia mount refers to fixing an object, in this case a railing, to any relatively broad, flat, horizontal surface, to the outer edge of a cornice or frame. This is also referred to as a side mount or a joist mount. The surface mount refers to fixing the object to the part of the surface where one would walk. It can be called a deck mount, floor mount or top mount. There are also railings that are fixed directly on walls.
You will need to know the railing safety code for residential railings in the area. You will not need to have the same height for a communal deck for an apartment building complex for example as a small personal family deck.
Commercial properties such as apartment buildings, hotels and public buildings will require railings for building safety. As seen with residential railings, commercial railings will also need to follow the safety code and this will depend on the country and potentially the city or district. In certain cases, railings are obligatory, such as for stairs, balconies and decks.
Here are a few questions that might help:
You might want to consider additional elements to narrow your search. If you’re looking for railings to install in a professional setting, be sure to keep this in mind in order to obtain more fitting results. Other options are whether you’d like to have a specific look, such as incorporated lighting or perforated panels.
The last few years have seen a lot of changes in terms of style for railings. There are more design options available today. Some of the trending designs include box newels instead of round ones; iron and or square balusters; metal panels; and stainless steel cables and tubes.
Architects and interior designers currently prefer metal and glass guards for staircases and patios. By maximizing transparency and light, glass guards render an area more spacious. Currently, frameless glass panel railings are trending.
Are you interested in learning more about 54e1 Rail? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!