Hello all. Can someone please tell me what the football shaped rails are for in the middle of track. I see these once in a while in my train videos and was just wondering what they were. Thanks in advance.
Marksrailroad, if you are seeing what I think you are, they are guard rails. They are used to prevent derailed equipment from striking trackside structures such as bridges or buildings or, from going off a bridge onto a road or buildings close to the bridge and its abutments. The "football" appearance comes from the tapers that will hopefully guide derailed wheels as close to the running rails as possible for the reasons as stated above. As with most other things in railroading, their use is wherever the railroad feels they are needed.
They are guard rails used to prevent a piece of derailed equipment from striking a structure next to the track. You will always see them on bridges. They are sometimes near other trackside structures like passenger loading platforms.
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-Kevin
Living the dream.