Railway Technology
The toothed rail that lets a rack railway tackle a steep climb
A rack railway adds a toothed rail to help a train climb. Learn what to look for in historic photographs and how it differs from a cable-hauled line.
RAILWAYS · HISTORY · DISCOVERY
Follow the line. Find the story.
Explore railway history through maps, museum objects and the places that connect them, from Montana to rail networks around the world.
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Notes from the railway archive
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Railway Equipment
A rotary snowplow needs somewhere to throw the snow
A rotary snowplow cuts and throws snow instead of simply pushing a wedge through it. Its shape reveals a different railway winter problem.
Railway Systems
Why railway block signalling protects a stretch of track
Block signalling separates train movements through sections of railway. Read a historic signal alongside the track layout and operating system.
Railway Mechanics
A railway wheel flange guides the wheelset without steering like a car
Look at a railway wheelset’s tread and flange separately to understand how it follows the track, and what a museum photograph can reveal.
Railway Places
Why some railway platforms have a tactile strip behind the edge
Understand the purpose of tactile platform-edge paving, and distinguish accessibility improvements from the older story of a railway station.
Railway Mechanics
Coupler Slack Explains Why a Long Train Does Not Move as One Rigid Piece
Understand the small movements between coupled railway vehicles and why slack affects how a long train responds.