ViaSaxum – Expertise in railway ballast
After more than 37 years of railway experience (my former business card called me a permanent way expert), it was time to do something that had been on my mind for years: write a book about railway ballast. That seemingly boring layer of stones that no one bothers to look at, unless they’re loose and they trip over them. Even in my (former) field of work, most professionals take railway ballast for granted. However, it’s the foundation of our track construction when we talk about ballasted track. Currently I am writing this book and I hope to give you a deeper insight into what is involved in choosing the right material and its properties for railway ballast. And I promise you even more and it will not be boring!
I officially retired on the 1st of January 2025, which I thought would give me enough time to start writing. Although this turned out to be somewhat disappointing (there is so much to do when you retire), I have set myself the goal of publishing this book in the 4th quarter of this year (2026). The working title of this book is “Railway Ballast – The Silent Force of the Track”.
Railway ballast is not an afterthought. It is the load-bearing, draining, damping, and stabilizing heart of the classic superstructure. Factors such as grain size distribution, grain shape, stone type, hardness, freeze-thaw resistance, water absorption, and interaction with the sleepers—all these factors are interrelated.
The name ViaSaxum – Latin for “stone road” – deliberately refers to the historic line of Babylonian, Greek, and Roman roads, passing through the first wooden mine tracks to the modern railway on a ballast bed of crushed stone, which with some fantasy can still be considered a stone road. This historical depth does not create nostalgia, but perspective: understanding the origins prepares you for the future.
I will regularly give an update about the contents of my book and will post this also on LinkedIn.
I hope you have fun reading it.
Best regards, Arthur.