Railroad Ballast (Rock): Specifiions, Sizes, Background
· According to Brian Solomon''s book Railway Maintenance, The Men and Machines That Keep the Railroads Running, today the typical layout for a wellballasted railroad track system is stone lined to the top of the railroad ties protruding roughly 14 inches to either side. From this point the rock is tapered away on a "3to1" slope to an eventual distance of 9 feet, .