Northwest Rubber Extruders’ rail boots are extruded from durable thermoplastic materials designed to meet the stringent requirements of the railroad industry. Form fitted to meet the exact dimensions and tolerances of most rail profiles, our rail boots are easy to install for reduced construction time and cost.
Specially engineered for use on embedded tracks for light rail, street cars, and other electrically-powered rail transit and transport systems, our rail boots are suitable for use with a variety of rail types.
Request a quote today on rail boots for your application, or contact us to learn more.
Benefits of Using Rail Boots
- Isolate Stray Electrical Current: Rail boots’ primary benefit is their high electrical resistivity. The special thermoplastic elastomer provides insulation against stray current that can transfer from electric rail cars to tracks and leach into surrounding communications and utility wires, pipes, etc. Stray current can cause electrolytic corrosion on rail tracks, among other problems. Northwest Rubber Extruders rail boots effectively isolate stray current, thereby reducing maintenance costs.
- Noise Reduction: Because they tightly surround the entire embedded portion of the rail, our rail boots help dampen the noise caused by passing railcars. Though this is merely a side effect of the rail boots’ design, it can be of substantial benefit in areas where noise must be kept to a minimum.
- Vibration Dampening: In addition to muffling sound, the thermoplastic material in Northwest Rubber Extruders’ rail boots also helps reduce vibration. Over time, vibration caused by passing railcars can degrade the rail bed and the tracks themselves, ultimately leading to significant—and costly—damage. Our rail boots minimize vibration and, as a result, help reduce the need for maintenance and track repair.
Request a quote on extruded thermoplastic rail boots for your rail construction application. Contact Northwest Rubber Extruders for more information.
We also offer LRT elastomeric grout, which provides many of the same benefits and characteristics, and may be better suited to certain rail applications.