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569:, especially when the roads were muddy from wet weather. The rails enabled a horse to easily pull a load of 10 tonnes compared to 1 tonne on a dirt road. The evolution of street tramway tracks paralleled the transition from horse power to mechanical and electric power. In a dirt road, the rails needed a foundation, usually a mass concrete raft. Highway authorities often made tramway companies pave the rest of the road, usually with granite or similar stone blocks, at extra cost.
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needed other developments, most notably heavier rails to cope with electric tramcars weighing 12 tonnes rather than the 4 tonne horse-drawn variety; switching points, as electric trams could not be pulled onto the correct track by horses; and the need for electrical connections, to provide the return
653:
The traditional form of grooved rail is the girder guard section illustrated below. This rail is a modified form of flanged rail and requires a special mounting for weight transfer and gauge stabilisation. If the weight is carried by the roadway subsurface, steel ties are needed at regular intervals
626:
or grassed surfaces (grassed track or track in a lawn). The head on the right-hand side of the rail bears the vehicle's weight. The guard on the left-hand side, which has ample room for wheel flanges, carries no weight but serves to minimize the chance of derailment if the wheel were to be deflected
732:
were set in the road surface, and energised by a passing tram, either mechanically or magnetically, to supply power through a skate carried under the tram. Unfortunately these systems all failed due to the problem of reliability and not always turning off after the tram had passed, resulting in the
727:
with electrical conductors were used. Examples of this were New York, Washington DC, Paris, London, Brussels and
Budapest. The conduit system of electrical power was very expensive to install and maintain, although Washington did not close until 1962. Attempts were made with alternative systems not
638:
and rail equipment and helped develop tram lines in New York City and Paris. The invention of grooved rail enabled tramways to be laid without causing a nuisance to other road users, except unsuspecting cyclists, who could get their wheels caught in the groove. The grooves may become filled with
677:
A modern version of the grooved block rail has a lower mass and is inserted into a prefabricated spanning concrete girder such as the LR55 without web but fully supported by noise reducing polyurethane grout or a girder rail such as P-CAT City Metro is embedded. The prefabricated units if used
668:
Block rail is a lower profile form of girder guard rail, where the web is eliminated. In profile it is more like a solid form of bridge rail with a flangeway and guard added. Simply removing the web and combining the head section directly with the foot section would result in a weak rail, so
639:
gravel and dirt (particularly if infrequently used or after a period of idleness) and need clearing from time to time, this being done by a "scrubber" tram. Failure to clear the grooves can lead to a bumpy ride for the passengers, damage to either wheel or rail and possibly derailing.
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The first tramways had a rail projecting above the road surface, or a step set into the road, both of which were apt to catch the narrow tyres of horse-drawn carriages. The invention by
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Tramway tracks have been in existence since the mid-16th century. They were made of wood, but during the late 18th century iron and later steel came into use and then predominated.
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with ultra light trams can be embedded into existing road base with possibly a reduced requirement for underground services diversions.
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in 1852 of grooved rail enabled tramways to be laid without causing a nuisance to other road users, except unsuspecting
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to maintain the gauge. Installing these means that the whole surface needs to be excavated and reinstated.
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Grooved rail, used when track is laid in places traversed by other vehicles or pedestrians
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European Girder Guard Rail
Sections and Tram/Street Car Grooved BLOCK Rail without Web
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In some cities where overhead electric cables were deemed intrusive, underground
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A rough exothermic weld after removal of the mould, before grinding to profile
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needing overhead wires. There were many systems of “surface” contact, where
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MRT Track & Services Co., Inc / Krupp, T and girder rails, scroll down.
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from its normal position in which the flange is not laterally constrained.
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Tram rails can be placed on several surfaces, such as on ground over which
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Prior to the universal introduction of electric power, many tramways were
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occasional electrocution of horses and dogs. Since 2003, a new system of
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is used. However, when such traffic exists, such as in urban streets,
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path for the electric current, which was usually supplied through an
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32:"Tram track" redirects here. For the medical usage of the term, see
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steel rails, the distance between the heads of the rails being the
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in Wales. These needed a rather more substantial track formation.
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The first street tramways were laid in 1832 in New York by
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Hilton, George W.; Due, John
Fitzgerald (1 January 2000).
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additional thickness is required in the combined section.
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27:
Rail and components for trams or light rail vehicles
900:A specialised vehicle washing the tramway track in
580:, who could get their wheels caught in the groove.
634:, a French inventor who developed improvements in
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522:, with grooved rails usually embedded into a
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869:Pavement removed for repairs to the tracks,
518:are laid – as with railway tracks – or, for
1093:The Electric Interurban Railways in America
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622:designed for tramway or railway track in
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920:Difference between train and tram rails
529:. In some places, tracks are laid into
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649:Rail profile § Girder guard rail
630:Grooved rail was invented in 1852 by
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24:
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565:to assist horses pulling buses on
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1050:LR55 track suppliers and advisers
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786:Tram track on Florent Pauwelslei.
1060:Testing Girder Rail on the MBTA.
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590:Rail profile § Grooved rail
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1045:LR55 Track System Full details
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664:Rail profile § Block rail
13:
1:
1096:. Stanford University Press.
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842:Joining tram tracks using an
761:in California as well as the
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483:operations. As with standard
245:Passenger traffic terminology
935:Minimum railway curve radius
533:surfaces; they are known as
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10:
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1348:Transfer table (traverser)
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737:has been installed in the
715:Conduit current collection
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673:Prefabricated grooved rail
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1336:ground-level power supply
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1085:ThyssenKrupp grooved rail
719:Ground-level power supply
688:List of tram track gauges
358:List of high-speed trains
829:railroad ties (sleepers)
709:Conduit and stud systems
1321:Railway electrification
487:, tram tracks have two
260:Railway nationalization
1070:Grooved or girder rail
996:Grooved or girder rail
966:Track transition curve
599:
368:Longest train services
250:Named passenger trains
1460:Platform screen doors
1040:at Wikimedia Commons
1018:P-CAT City Metro rail
757:can still be seen in
597:
383:Platform screen doors
34:Tram track (medicine)
1410:Anti-trespass panels
976:Tramway (industrial)
436:Transport portal
388:Railway speed record
1257:Classification yard
512:sleepers (US: ties)
363:List of train songs
240:High-speed railways
193:Couplers by country
42:Part of a series on
1516:Motive power depot
1470:Signalling control
951:Railway guide rail
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198:Coupler conversion
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1343:Railway turntable
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1103:978-0-8047-4014-2
1065:Wirth Girder Rail
1036:Media related to
888:in Brussels, 2018
643:Girder guard rail
516:flat-bottom rails
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188:Railway couplings
171:Steam locomotives
16:(Redirected from
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118:
115:
114:
113:
112:Railway track
110:
106:
103:
102:
101:
98:
96:
93:
91:
88:
87:
86:
85:
81:
80:
73:
72:Company types
70:
68:
65:
64:
62:
61:
57:
53:
52:
49:
46:
45:
41:
40:
35:
30:
19:
1495:Wayside horn
1445:Interlocking
1425:Catch points
1385:Water trough
1308:
1287:Passing loop
1267:Pocket track
1252:Balloon loop
1216:Ladder track
1107:. Retrieved
1092:
1030:
1013:
1002:
991:
940:Rail profile
799:Grooved-rail
751:cable hauled
748:
722:
696:
676:
667:
652:
629:
616:special rail
611:
607:
604:grooved rail
603:
601:
584:Grooved rail
571:
560:
557:
544:
540:
534:
505:
472:
471:
150:Service and
29:
1420:Buffer stop
1380:Water crane
1292:Track gauge
1231:Tie/Sleeper
1080:Block rails
1038:Tram tracks
741:by Alstom.
682:Track gauge
612:girder rail
608:groove rail
536:green track
493:track gauge
485:rail tracks
475:is used on
398:Terminology
343:Attractions
330:Miscellanea
166:Locomotives
124:Track gauge
117:Maintenance
1632:Categories
1593:Industrial
1577:Water stop
1538:for trains
1530:Roundhouse
1504:Structures
1490:Train stop
1440:Guard rail
1415:Block post
1403:and safety
1400:Signalling
1331:third rail
1304:Rail track
1297:dual gauge
1181:Baulk road
983:References
884:Temporary
767:Great Orme
662:See also:
658:Block rail
647:See also:
588:See also:
567:dirt roads
531:grass turf
510:topped by
481:light rail
348:By country
299:Interurban
294:Light rail
139:Dual gauge
90:Management
1543:for goods
1485:Tell-tale
1316:Rail yard
1282:Guide bar
1262:Headshunt
1245:Trackwork
1211:Fishplate
1201:Date nail
1162:(history)
545:track in
373:Modelling
353:Companies
338:Accidents
161:Operating
95:Rail yard
1598:Military
1555:building
1525:Platform
1435:Derailer
1353:Roll way
1272:Junction
1171:Axe ties
947:(points)
913:See also
886:turnouts
725:conduits
624:pavement
578:cyclists
527:pavement
524:concrete
489:parallel
477:tramways
420:Vactrain
210:Wheelset
1608:station
1603:Private
1550:Station
1226:Profile
1176:Ballast
1109:10 June
871:Toronto
773:Gallery
765:of the
618:with a
554:History
501:grooved
393:Suicide
378:Museums
309:History
287:History
265:Freight
67:History
1370:Switch
1358:Siding
1158:Tracks
1100:
906:Latvia
763:system
755:system
620:groove
316:Maglev
178:Trains
1586:Types
1565:ghost
1560:clock
1534:Shed
1148:Rail
730:studs
614:is a
610:, or
321:Urban
1613:list
1570:list
1191:Cant
1111:2014
1098:ISBN
902:Riga
717:and
636:tram
547:lawn
514:and
282:Tram
105:list
1390:Wye
543:or
479:or
1634::
904:,
705:.
606:,
602:A
550:.
539:,
414:UK
412:,
410:NZ
408:,
406:NA
404:,
402:AU
1518:/
1141:e
1134:t
1127:v
1113:.
461:e
454:t
447:v
416:)
400:(
36:.
20:)
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