Hey everyone, Rail Bolt
If you’re in the rail game, you know turnouts (those tricky switch and crossing sections) are the make-or-break spots for track reliability. I’m the guy behind a rail bolt supply company, and I’ve spent the last 12 years on job sites, helping installers get this right because cutting corners on turnout bolts = big headaches later—think derailment scares, track downtime, and way more money spent fixing mistakes. Today, I’m breaking down exactly how to install rail bolts in a turnout track, no fancy jargon, just the real stuff I teach our installers every week. Let’s dive in.
First, let’s cut to why turnouts are different from straight track. Straight track uses consistent spacing, straight rails, standard bolts. Turnouts? They have curved rails, moving parts (the switch points, guard rails), and uneven loads because trains shift when they take the switch. So their bolts aren’t just any old M20s—they need to hold tight through all that movement, no loose bolts mid-service, no snapped threads. I see installers skip this context all the time, and that’s where half the bad installs go wrong.
Before you even touch a bolt, you’ve got to prep the area. No skimping on this—prep takes 20 minutes max, and saves you hours later. First, lockout/tagout (LOTO) is non-negotiable. I don’t care if the line’s been quiet for an hour—those trains move fast, and last month I had a buddy who almost got creamed because he skipped LOTO on a side track. Next, clean the bolt holes. Turnouts get caked with dirt, rust, old track grease, even leaves that crumble into the holes. If you shove a bolt in a hole with gunk, it’ll cross-thread or never seat right. Use a wire brush (or a compressed air gun if you’ve got one) to blast every hole in the rail web and tie plate—don’t just brush the top, get the bottom too, where the bolt shank touches.
Wait, here’s a pro tip I only learned after my first bad install: sort your bolts by type first. Turnouts use three main bolt types, don’t mix ’em up. 1) Hex head bolts for the main rail joints (longer shank, more tension). 2) Square neck bolts for switch points—square shank keeps them from spinning when you tighten the nut (critical, since switch points move). 3) Guard rail bolts—shorter, thicker, to handle the heavy side load from train wheels. Grab your specific bolt size from your spec sheet, don’t guess. Most main turnout bolts are M22, but some small switch sections use M18—double-check with the track engineer, that’s non-negotiable.
Next, fit the bolts. Slide the shank through the rail web hole first, then add the tie plate washer. Wait—don’t use just any washer, get the flat washer matched to your bolt size, and if it’s a high-vibration turnout, use a lock washer too. I see installers skip lock washers all the time, and on switch sections, that leads to bolts backing off in 6 months. Now, thread on the nut. Hand-tighten it first, don’t use a wrench yet—this lets you adjust if the bolt is cross-threaded. If the nut doesn’t turn smoothly, pull the bolt out, check the hole again, or grab a new bolt—cross-threading ruins the bolt’s thread, and it’ll never hold.
Here’s the big part: tightening the bolts. Straight track installers usually tighten all bolts to a set torque, but turnouts? You can’t do that. Different sections need different torque specs, and timing matters too—you can’t tighten all bolts at once in the wrong order. Let’s break down the order, because I’ve seen installers tighten the middle bolt first, and the rails shifted, ruining the switch alignment. Start from the outside of the turnout: work from the switch point, out to the main rail, never in one section at a time. For switch point bolts specifically, tighten them in a crisscross pattern—tighten bolt 1, then bolt 3, then bolt 2, not 1,2,3. That keeps the switch point straight, no warping. As for torque, main rail bolts need 280-320 Nm, switch point bolts need 220-260 Nm, and guard rail bolts need 300-340 Nm. Wait—don’t just guess your torque wrench. Calibrate it that morning, every time. I keep a little sticker on my wrench that says the last calibration date, so I never forget. If your wrench isn’t calibrated, the torque is useless—you might under-tighten (loose bolts) or over-tighten (snapped bolt shank, stripped threads).
And here’s a rule no one tells you: always do a final torque check after 24 hours, and then again after 2 weeks. Turnouts settle, right? The rail expands and contracts with temperature, the tie plate settles into the track bed. I had a job last year where we tightened all bolts to spec, did a final check, left, and came back a week later with half the bolts loose. We fixed them right away, but that could’ve been a derailment. So that follow-up is non-negotiable.
Now, common mistakes I see every single time, so listen up. First, over-tightening. I’ve had more snapped rail bolts from over-tightening turnouts than any other issue. The rail web can crack if you crank a bolt too hard, and that’s a whole new track job. Second, mixing up bolt lengths. A lot of installers grab the nearest bolt, but if you use a too-long bolt, it’ll poke through the tie plate and hit the track bed, causing friction that leads to wear. Too short, and the nut won’t seat all the way, so it’ll back off. Third, skipping bolt coating. Our supply comes with zinc plating, but if you’re working on a high-corrosion area (coastal tracks, lines near steel mills), add anti-seize compound to the bolt shank before installing. That prevents rust seizing the bolt to the rail, so you can loosen it later if you need maintenance. I once worked on a coastal turnout where we skipped anti-seize, and 3 bolts seized so bad we had to cut them out with a torch—cost the project 3 extra hours.
As a rail bolt supplier, I’ll tell you this: the right bolt makes all the difference here too. Cheap, generic bolts won’t hold up to the vibration and load of a turnout. They snap easier, threads strip faster, and you’ll be replacing them in a year. Our bolts are heat-treated, have precision-cut threads, and meet all railway industry specs, so our customers tell us their turnouts last 2x longer. It’s not just selling bolts—it’s making sure you’ve got the right parts to do the job right.
Wait, one last thing: safety. No, I don’t just mean LOTO (though that’s still top). When you’re working on the turnout, watch your hands—rail bolts are heavy, sharp edges on the shank can cut you. Wear steel-toe boots, gloves, and hearing protection—torque wrenches are loud. And never stand directly over the rail when tightening, if something slips, the bolt could fly up. I’ve had a bolt slip once, missed my head by 2 inches—never again.
If you’re working on a turnout project and need reliable, spec-compliant rail bolts, or you’ve got questions about torque specs, bolt types, or prep, hit us up to chat through your needs. We don’t do one-size-fits-all, so we’ll work with you to make sure you’ve got exactly what you need for your track. Just reach out, and we can walk through it together.
Rail Tie Plate References:
- AREMA Manual for Railway Engineering, Chapter 10: Track Components, Turnout and Switch Design, 2021
- Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Track Safety Standards, Part 213: Track Structure, 2022
- Railway Engineering and Maintenance Association (REMA) Best Practices for Turnout Installation and Maintenance, 2020
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) B107.14: Wrench Torque Testing for Fasteners in Railroad Track Applications, 2019
HENAN GNEE RAIL CO.,LTD.
HENAN GNEE RAIL CO.,LTD. is one of the most professional rail bolt manufacturers and suppliers in China, featured by quality products and low price. Please rest assured to buy cheap rail bolt in stock here from our factory. Contact us for customized service.
Address: No.4-1114, Beichen Building, Beicang Town, Beichen District, Tianjin, China
E-mail: info@gneerail.com
WebSite: https://www.chinarailfastener.com/
