Numerical

Railways
Problem : 1 A turnout is to be laid off a straight BG track with a 1 in 12
crossing. Determine the lead and radius of the turnout with the help of
the following data: heel divergence (d) = 133 mm, crossing angle (a) =
4° 45' 49'', switch angle (b) = 1° 8' 00'', straight length between the
theoretical nose of crossing and the tangent point of crossing (h) = 1.418
m. and G = 1.676m

Solution

a = 4° 45' 49'', b = 1° 8' 0''

G = 1.676 m, d = 0.133 m
N = 12, h = 1.418 m
Problem : 2 For a sleeper density of n+5, the number of
sleepers required for constructing a BG track of length 1050 m
with standard rail length is
Solution

Standard rail length = 12.8 m

Sleeper density = 12.8 + 5 = 17.8 per rail length say 18

Number of rails for 1050 m is = 1050/12.8 = 82.03 = 83

Number of sleepers = (1050×18) / 12.8=1476.56 say 1480

Problem : 3 For a 12.8 m rail length of BG track, having sleeper
density
(n + 3), the total number of sleepers required per km will be nearly

Solution

Length of each rail of BG track = 12.8 m

Total number of rails required per km =1000 / 12.8 = 78.125rails ≃

78rails

For sleeper density of (n + 3),

the number of sleepers under each rail =12.8+3=15.8≃16

∴ Total number of sleepers required = 78 × 16 = 1248 sleepers.

Problem : 4
Calculate the number of sleepers required for 1 km railway track, it
sleeper density is (n+4) for broad gauge and the length of one rail for a
broad gauge is 13 m.

Given:
Sleeper density (n) = 4
Length of one rail for broad gauge = 13m

To find: Number of sleepers required for 1 km railway track

Formula used:
Number of sleepers required = Length of railway track / spacing between sleepers

Calculation:
1 km = 1000 m
Length of one rail = 13m

Total length of railway track = 2 x 1000m = 2000m (since there are two rails in a railway track)

Spacing between sleepers = Length of one rail / Sleeper density = 13m / 4 = 3.25m

Number of sleepers required = Total length of railway track / Spacing between sleepers

Number of sleepers required = 2000m / 3.25m ≈ 615.38

Rounding off to the nearest whole number, we get the answer as 1308.

Therefore, the number of sleepers required for 1 km railway track with sleeper density 4 for
broad gauge and length of one rail for broad gauge is 13 m is 1308.
Problem : 5

If sleeper density is M + 7 for 13 m rails, what will be the minimum

depth of ballast under wooden sleepers (25 cm x 13 cm).

No of sleepers (M+7) = 20

Spacing = Rail Length / No. of sleepers

1300 / 20 = 65,

Db = S-W/2,

(65-25)/2 = 20cm.
What will be the non-passing sight distance (in m) on highway for a
design speed of 80 kmph when its ascending gradient is 3%? Assume
brake efficiency as 50%, coefficient of friction as 0.7 and reaction time
of 2.5 seconds.

Solution

SSD=0.278Vt+(V2 / 254(ηbf+S%))

=0.278×80×2.5+802254(0.5×0.7+0.03)

=121.908m

≃121.91m
The design speed on a road is 60 kmph. Assuming the driver reaction time
of 2.5 seconds and coefficient of friction of pavement surface as 0.35, the
required stopping distance for two-way traffic on a single lane road is

Solution

Stopping Distance
=0.278Vt + (V2 / 254f)

=0.278×60×2.5+(60)2254×0.35=82.1 m

But the traffic is two way, therefore the stopping distance

=2×82.1=164.2 m
A horizontal circular curve with a centre line radius of 250 m is provided
on a 2-way, 2-lane State Highway. The width of two-lane road is 7.5 m.
Design speed = 90 kmph. The brake reaction time is 2.5 seconds and
coefficient of friction in longitudinal and lateral direction are 0.35 and 0.15
respectively. The set back distance from the central line of the road
considering Lc > SSD is

Solution

SSD = v t r + (v2 / 2gf)

= 0.278×90×2.5+ (0.278×90)2 / 2×9.81×0.35=153.66m

For Lc>SSD

Set back distance

(m′) = R − (R−d) cosα / 2;

α/2 = 180×SSD / 2π(R−d) = 17.74∘

m′ = 250 − (250−1.875) cos17.74 = 13.68 m

A 7.5 wide two-lane road on a plain terrain is to be laid along a horizontal
curve of radius 500 m. For a design speed of 100kmph, super elevation is
provided as per IRC:73−1980. Consider acceleration due to gravity
as 9.81m/s2. The level difference between the inner and outer edges of the
road will be

Solution

∵ e=V2 / 225 R

∴ e=1002 / (225×500) = 0.088 > 0.07

So,
e=0.07

Δh= eB = 0.07×7.5 = 0.525m

The design speed for a two-lane road is 80 kmph. When a design vehicle
with a wheelbase of 6.6 m is negotiating a horizontal curve on the road, the
off-tracking is measured as 0.096 m. The required widening of carriageway
of the two-lane road on the curve is approximately:

Solution

Off-tracking,
l2 / 2R = 0.096 m

⇒R=(6.6)2 / (2 × 0.096)=226.875 m

Extra widening,
Ew = n × (l2 / 2R) + V / 9.5√ R

= 2 × 0.096 + 809.5 √ 226.875

= 0.192 + 0.56 = 0.752 m