Tramway track

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rail gauge
Broad gauge
Standard gauge
Narrow gauge
Dual gauge
Break-of-gauge
Breitspurbahn
Rail tracks
Tramway track
[edit]

Light rail tracks with concrete railroad ties (sleepers).

Tramway track is used on tramways or light rail operations, which, together with points guide trams, streetcars or light rail vehicles without the need for steering. Grooved rails (or girder rails) are often used in order to make street running feasible. Like standard rail tracks, tram tracks consist of two parallel steel rails.

Tram rails can be placed in several surfaces. They can, for example, be laid with standard rails on sleepers like railway tracks, or with grooved rails on concrete sleepers into street surfaces (pavement) for street running. Another environmentally-friendly or ecologically-friendly alternative is to lay tracks into grass turf surfaces; this is known as grassed track (or track in a lawn).

[edit] Grooved rail

Grooved rail gauntlet track on a street tramway in Mannheim, Germany

A Grooved rail or Girder rail, is a special rail designed for tramway or railway track in pavement or grassed surfaces (grassed track or track in a lawn). It was invented by Alphonse Loubat in 1852.