In rail terminology, a spike is a large nail with an offset head that is used to secure rails or tie plates (or baseplates) to ties in the track. Spikes are driven into wooden ties either by hammering them with a spike hammer by hand, or in an automated fashion with a spiker.
Many railways use large wood screws, also called lag screws, to fasten the tie plates (or baseplates) to the railroad ties. Machine screws (or bolts) are also used to hold fishplates on jointed rail.
The presence of the letters HC (high carbon) on a spike's head indicates that the spike contains about 0.40% carbon.
The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association sets the technical standards for the proper manufacture and use of this part by U.S. railroads.
See also
References
External links
|
|||||
 |
This rail-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
