Railway Track Question

[rower40]

The clackity-clack noise is actually made by loud speakers on the sides of the train these days. Fact.

I know this because I live next to a train line and some trains clack and others don't, on the very same track.

That's Martin109's Wheelflats, that is.  It's quite easy to flat-spot a train wheel or 8 by locking up the brakes.  Then the wheels are no longer round, and clackity-clack (or more likely thumpety-thump) noises are the order of the day.

[The Mechanic]

Facinating to see that nobody know what the hell they're talking abount on thsi thread.  So many different facts it must be the Daily Mail.

[Greenbank]

Facinating to see that nobody know what the hell they're talking abount on thsi thread.  So many different facts it must be the Daily Mail.

Or Wikipedia.

On the internet, no-one knows you're a dog not an expert and just answering questions using google.

[pcolbeck]

If you really really want a determinative answer I could ask my Uncle since he works for Railtrack and is the engineer in charge of maintenance for the entire East Coast mainline.

[Treewheeler]

The Ghan line from Darwin to Adelaide is of the French welded technology.
I recently travelled on this 3day service which travelled at just 80kph average.
I quiet missed the clickety clack...
The effect of the heat buckling the rails is very obvious and it can be quite difficult to drink from a cup on some sections although when we ran through a herd of cattle not even a tremor was felt. I saw 3 bowled to death and several became trapped under the cars cutting a water line so we stopped in the middle of the desert and the engineer repaired it there and then.
 Later on we travelled on lines of mixed gauges, broad and standard. Quite a complicated arrangment of points!

[Jaded]

Facinating to see that nobody know what the hell they're talking abount on thsi thread.  So many different facts it must be the Daily Mail.

That's a wonderfully positive contribution to the thread.

Many thanks.

[LEE]

If you really really want a determinative answer I could ask my Uncle since he works for Railtrack

I'm fairly sure that Railtrack engineers use guesswork and Wikipedia as well.