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When it becomes hotter than the rails can stretch to more than the gaps between rails can handle, the rails start to bend becasuse they have expanded. If there is enough pressure to "pop out" tie spikes, the rail will bend. This is a bigger concern today because long section of rail, called Continuous Welded Rail (CWR) can be a quarter mile long and have no gaps to abosrb this expansion. This rail relies on "rail anchors" to hold the rail in place. However, under extreme conditions, the anchors start getting pushed off and this can result in a long section of track that has bent and can no longer carry a train.

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Q: Is it true that train tracks bend during a heatwave?
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Train tracks are designed to have gentle curves in order to navigate the natural contours of the land, such as hills and valleys. Additionally, the curvature helps trains to maintain a comfortable and safe speed around corners without causing derailments. The slight bend in the tracks also assists with the distribution of weight and stress as trains pass over them.


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Railroad tracks can bend when they get hot. Train tracks have a small gap where one rail meets the next rail. These are called expansion joints. When it is hot the rails expand making the gap smaller, and when it is cold the rails contract making the joints wider. If the expansion joints are not wide enough and the rail gets hot enough it will expand more than the expansion joint can handle and the rails can buckle. In other situations the rails can get what are called sun kinks and the rails actually bend out of alignment.


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