BASIC UNDERSTANDING SERIES: TRAIN TRACK CONSTRUCTION
Train tracks serves as pathways for trains. Trains form a type of transport called rail transport and rail transports are best suited for carrying a large number of heavy goods and passengers across very long distances. Train tracks also known as railroad tracks and are permanent ways and structures consisting of the rails, fasteners, rail road ties and ballast plus an underlying subgrade. Rail road tracks guide the train, acting as the low friction surface on which the train moves and often transferring the weight of the train to the ground below.
STEPS INVOLVED IN TRAIN TRACK CONSTRUCTION
- SURVEY: Various survey processes are usually undertaken before the construction of train tracks. Surveys are usually done after the decision has been made during early preliminary investigations about the desirability and feasibility of the rail tracks. The various types of surveys carried out are:
- Traffic survey, which is a detailed survey of the traffic conditions in the area where train tracks are to be laid
- Reconnaissance survey consists of a rapid rough and non-detailed investigations of the area with a view to determine the technical feasibility of the project proposal and also its rough cost.
- Preliminary survey is a detailed instrumental examination of the route to be selected, it is based on the result of the reconnaissance survey which is used to estimate the cost of the proposed train tracks.
- Final location survey is done once the final decision has been taken for the rail track to be constructed. It is done to prepare working details and make accurate costs estimates
2. LAND ACQUISITION: After all the surveys has been done, then all forms of legal and financial formalities to possess the land must be carried out on time so that construction works can start quickly. The land to be acquired should be adequate for the formation, berm and borrow pits. Also it should provide room for future expansion to possibly a double line train track.
3. EARTHWORK AND BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION: The earthwork for formation maybe in an embankment or a cutting depending upon the rail level and general contour of the area and the formation of an embankment is usually preferred from the point of view of good drainage. Bridges are also constructed to carry rail tracks over existing roads, water courses and storage facilities.
4. CONSTRUCTION OF SERVICE BUILDINGS, PLATFORMS AND SHEDS: The service buildings includes offices which are required for providing services for running the trains.
5. PLATE LAYING OR TRACK LINKING: This process is carried out once the earthwork formations are set. It consists of laying rail tracks, concrete sleepers and fastenings. There are several methods that can be adopted for plate laying, they include; tram line method, American method and telescopic method.
6. BALLASTING OF THE TRACK: This is usually done by using ballast trains that have special hoppers through which the ballast can be automatically unloaded onto the track. The ballast normally is spread on the railway lines after the embankments has settled well.
7. SETTLING THE RAIL: After all the processes has been carried out, a machine is then made to ride along the new track, lifting the tracks , to then vibrate the ballasts into place and then set the track into its final position.
Also incorporated within these train tracks are railway track scales and there are various types of railway motion weighing systems. Railway track scales are used for reference weighing of material used to test belt scales, hopper scales and flowmeters. There are various railway motion weighing systems such as; conventional weigh bridge systems, strain gauge systems and ballast supported systems. These scales measure both dynamic motion and static weights.

A simple double ended shear beam load cell can be incorporated within the rail tracks.
Other sources:
Satish Chandra , M.M Agarwal, RAILWAY ENGINEERING, Oxford University Press, 2007.
Department of Transport and Main Roads, Moreton Bay Rail, Track Construction.
National Weighing & Sampling 2012 Technical Meeting., Railway Coupled In-motion weighing types/ procedures and reference weighing with railway track scales..
