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Another reason it stays on the track (except on the UP in San Antonio [banghead][banghead]) is that the wheels themselves are coned--that is, the profile of the wheel tread slopes upward from the flange to the outer edge at the railhead, so that the diameter of the tread at the flange is larger than the diameter at the outside edge. This slope of the wheel treads, when riding on the railheads, (HEY, I'M A POET!!) tries to force the flanges to center themselves between the rails. When one wheel tries to crawl up the railhead toward the flange, the coning on that wheel tries to push it back and the coning on the opposite wheel tries to pull it back. <br /> <br />It doesn't collapse the rail (usually!) even with the very thin web, because all of the strength in the beam (which is what the rail is) is aligned vertically in the web. However, if the rail base is not affixed well to the tie (say, if the tie is rotten or spike-killed, where the spike holes have grown too large and the spikes won't hold well), any substantial weight and/or lateral force can roll the rail right over. Even with a standing car--a bad habit that was identified with the Deramus-era Katy in the 1960's, and some other roads as well. <br /> <br />I have been amazed at what a set of rails - even old ones - will hold up. On some of the properties we have rehabbed, as a practical matter, the mud and the weeds were holding the rails up in spots, and you could still get a train over it (but not very fast). We took out some 61-1/2 lb stuff rolled in the 1880s that was still sort of in occasional service on an old branch line, and would still hold up for a 210,000 lb weight limit (70 ton car).
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