page_title: Baulk road
section_title: Other applications
hierarchical_section_title: Baulk road / Other applications
caption_attribution_description: English: Modern abulk road using flat bottomed rail and baseplates in Platform 1, London Paddington station, England. This form of track construction is similar to that first used at Paddington for the Great Western Railway's broad gauge lines in 1838, but uses modern materials to allow for easy drainage of the track.
context_page_description: Baulk road is the name given to a type of railway track or 'rail road' that is formed using rails carried on continuous timber bearings, as opposed to the more familiar 'cross-sleeper' track that uses closely spaced sleepers or ties to give intermittent support to stronger rails.
  Baulk road was popularised by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for his 7 ft ¹⁄₄ in broad gauge railways in the UK, but has also been used for other railways and can still be found in modified form in special locations on present day railways.
context_section_description: Baulk road was used by John Coode for a number of 7 ft (2,134 mm) railways that he built as part of large construction schemes for harbour breakwaters at places such as Portland and Table Bay. The great widths between the rails and between the transoms allowed him to support the tracks on piles and discharge rocks from wagons directly between the rails to form the foundations of the breakwaters.
  A variant of baulk road can still be seen today on some older under-line bridges where no ballast is provided. The design varies considerably, but in many cases longitudinal timbers are supported directly on the cross-girders, with transoms and tiebars to retain the gauge, and modern rails and base-plates or chairs laid on top. It can also be found in places where easy drainage is required or where access is required under rail vehicles for maintenance.
caption: Modern baulk road at London Paddington station
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