According to Brian Solomon's book Railway Maintenance, The Men and Machines That Keep the Railroads Running, today the typical layout for a well-ballasted railroad track system is stone lined to the top of the railroad ties protruding roughly 14 inches to either side. From this point the rock is tapered away on a 3-to-1 slope to an eventual distance of 9 feet, 10 inches from the center-of ...
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