rail joint![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Fasteners joining the ends of rails.
nut ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Hollow cylinder of metal whose lining is threaded to screw onto a corresponding bolt.
fishplate ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Long steel plate that is fitted into the two sides of the rail webs to join them end to end.
fishplate bolt ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Bolt-and-screw assembly that fastens a fishplate to rails.
dating nail ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Nail attached to a tie that bears the two last numbers of the year in which the tie was laid.
tie plate ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Metal plate placed between the rail head and the tie that helps to distribute the weight of the train on the tie.
running surface ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Top of the rail head on which the train wheels roll.
spike ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Large nail with a hooked head that fastens the base of the rail to the tie.
expansion space ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Space left between two joining rails to absorb expansion due to heat.