Providing rail inclination (rail tilt) on wooden sleepers: For which rail type is adzing of wooden sleepers typically carried out to obtain the required tilt?

Introduction / Context:Rails are commonly inclined inwards (for example, 1 in 20) to align the wheel–rail contact at the correct conicity and reduce flange and head wear. On timber sleepers, achieving this inclination can require shaping the rail seat, a process known as adzing.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Timber sleeper track with traditional fastenings.
• Rail inclination required (typical 1 in 20).
• Rail type affects how inclination is provided.

Concept / Approach:Bull-headed rails are usually carried in cast iron chairs that themselves provide the inclination. Flat-footed rails (without chairs) sit directly on sleepers (or baseplates); therefore, the seat on the wooden sleeper is adzed to provide the tilt unless baseplates with built-in cant are used.

Step-by-Step Solution:Identify rail support: flat-footed rails often bear directly on sleepers.To obtain rail cant, the timber seat is adzed to the specified slope.Hence, adzing is typically associated with flat-footed rail installations on timber.

Verification / Alternative check:Where baseplates with the required cant are provided, adzing may be minimized; historically and in many practices, adzing was the default for flat-footed rails on wood sleepers.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:Bull-headed/Double-headed: Chairs provide the tilt; sleeper adzing is not the primary method.Any type or None: Overbroad or incorrect given the historical standard practice.

Common Pitfalls:

• Confusing inclination from chairs/baseplates with adzing.
• Assuming uniform practice regardless of rail section and fastening system.

Final Answer:Flat-footed rails