RAILWAYS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA--TRACK PROBLEMS AND SOME SOLUTIONS

In track, South African Railways has followed closely the western European concept--concrete sleepers, good elastic fastenings, with a high ballast standard using continuously welded rail. All aspects of track design, particularly rail and sleeper fastenings, must be designed to reduce maintenance. The author notes that what might appear to be a costly initial design often turns out to be a cost saver in the long run. It is concluded that track design validates the fundamental axiom of engineering: that the closer the design approaches the limit of the strength of the material, the shorter the life of the product.