Transport Rails

AMERICAN PROFILES

Transport Rails are the most familiar rails produced. They are used by freight, passenger and public-transit railways to move goods and people long distances.

The installation of Transport Rails is usually on tie-and-ballast foundations. This has encouraged rail shapes with tall profiles to better transfer wheel loads from tie-to-tie. Transport rails are all relatively heavy sections, greater than 90 lbs/ yard (44.64 kg/m).

Transport Rails are connected to one another by welding and/or by jointed connections. Rails can be supplied with either drilled or non-drilled (blank) ends as required.

Basic Dimensions
Mechanical properties
Chemical composition
Drilling
Description

Basic Dimensions

Profiles	Weight			Head width			Height			Base width	Web
	kg/m	lb/yd	mm	in	mm	in	mm	in	mm	in
90ARA-A (TR45)	44.67	90.05	65.09	2 9/16	142.88	5 5/8	130.18	5 1/8	14.29	9/16
100ARA-A	49.88	100.56	69.85	2 3/4	152.40	6	139.70	5 1/2	14.29	9/16
100ARA-B (100-8)	49.87	100.53	67.47	2 21/32	143.27	5 41/64	130.57	5 9/64	14.29	9/16
100RE (TR50)	50.35	101.50	68.26	2 11/16	152.40	6	136.53	5 3/8	14.29	9/16
115RE (TR57)	56.80	114.50	69.06	2 23/32	168.28	6 5/8	139.70	5 1/2	15.88	5/8
119RE	58.86	118.67	67.47	2 21/32	173.04	6 13/16	139.70	5 1/2	15.88	5/8
132RE	65.33	131.70	76.20	3	180.98	7 1/8	152.40	6	16.67	21/32
133RE	66.10	133.25	76.20	3	179.39	7 1/16	152.40	6	17.46	11/16
136RE (TR68)	67.42	135.91	74.61	2 15/16	185.74	7 5/16	152.40	6	17.46	11/16
141RE	69.80	140.70	77.79	3 1/16	188.91	7 7/16	152.40	6	17.46	11/16
136TW	87.83	177.05	74.61	2 15/16	185.74	7 5/16	152.40	6	42.86	1 11/16

Mechanical properties

Specs	Steel Grade (grade shown on web)	Hardness HB	Tensile Strength ksi	Yield Strength ksi	Elongation %
AREMA	Standard Strength (SS)	≥ 310	≥ 142.5	≥ 74.0	≥ 10
(with Carbon Steel chemistry)	Intermediate Strength (IS)	≥ 350	≥ 155.0	≥ 105.0	≥ 10
	High Strength / Head Hardened (HH)	≥ 370	≥ 171.0	≥ 120.0	≥ 10


AREMA	Standard Strength (LA)	≥ 310	≥ 142.5	≥ 74.0	≥ 10
(with Low Alloy Steel chemistry)	Intermediate Strength (IH)	≥ 325	≥ 147.0	≥ 80.0	≥ 8
	High Strength / Head Harderned (LH)	≥ 370	≥ 171.0	≥ 120.0	≥ 10

Chemical composition
AREMA provides two possible steel chemistries: Carbon Steel or Low Alloy Steel

AREMA 2019	C %	Mn %	P %	S %	Si %	Ni %	Cr %	Mb %	V %	Al %
Carbon Steel	0.74 - 0.86	0.75 - 1.25	≤ 0.020	≤ 0.020	0.10 - 0.60	≤ 0.25	≤ 0.30	≤ 0.060	≤ 0.010	≤ 0.010
Low Alloy Steel (for Std Strength)	0.72 - 0.82	0.80 - 1.10	≤ 0.020	≤ 0.020	0.10 - 0.50	≤ 0.15	0.25 - 0.40	≤ 0.050	≤ 0.010	≤ 0.005
Low Alloy Steel (for Int. & High Strength)	0.72 - 0.82	0.70 - 1.25	≤ 0.020	≤ 0.020	0.10 - 1.00	≤ 0.15	0.40 - 0.70	≤ 0.050	≤ 0.010	≤ 0.005

Drilling

Rail profile	Spacing						Hole diameter			Elevation
	A		B		C		D		E
	mm	in	mm	in	mm	in	mm	in	mm	in
90ARA-A (TR45)	68.26	2 11/16	139.70	5 1/2	n/a	n/a	28.58	1 1/8	65.48	2 37/64
100ARA-A	68.26	2 11/16	139.70	5 1/2	n/a	n/a	30.16	1 3/16	69.85	2 3/4
100ARA-B (100-8)	67.47	2 21/32	184.15	7 1/4	139.70	5 1/2	28.58	1 1/8	63.70	2 65/128
100RE (TR50)	68.26	2 11/16	139.70	5 1/2	n/a	n/a	28.58	1 1/8	68.66	2 45/64
115RE (TR57)	88.90	3 1/2	152.40	6	152.40	6	28.58	1 1/8	73.03	2 7/8
119RE	88.90	3 1/2	152.40	6	152.40	6	28.58	1 1/8	73.03	2 7/8
132RE	88.90	3 1/2	152.40	6	152.40	6	31.75	1 1/4	78.58	3 3/32
133RE	88.90	3 1/2	152.40	6	152.40	6	28.58	1 1/8	76.20	3
136RE (TR68)	88.90	3 1/2	152.40	6	152.40	6	31.75	1 1/4	78.58	3 3/32

Description

Many American organizations have contributed to the design of Transport rails. Not all of these organizations still exist but their names live on in the rails which they developed.

These organizations include:

ASTM ‒ American Society for Testing and Materials
AREMA ‒ American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association
AREA ‒ American Railway Engineering Association (now part of AREMA)
ARA ‒ American Railway Association (now part of AREMA)
° ARA-A ‒ higher grade rail for high speeds applications
° ARA-B ‒ lower grade rail for heavy loads at low speeds

For railway and industrial applications, rail sections weighing in the range 60 lbs/yard (29.76 kg/m) to 114 lbs/yard (56.55 kg/m) are typically governed by the ASTM A1 specification. Transport rails weighing more than 114 lbs/yard (56.55 kg/m) follow AREMA specifications. Wirth Rail offers American Transport rail profiles in a number of different grades to suit different applications. There are many grades available, but those defined by AREMA and ASTM are the most common. In general, relative to other rail types, American Transport Rails tend to be very hard to reduce in-service wear.

Various lengths are available, with the most common being 39, 40 and 80 feet and 12, 18 and 24 metres.