A historic profile of steel rail featuring a thick, rounded head and a similarly shaped base, connected by a thinner web. Unlike flat-bottom rail which spikes directly to ties, bullhead rail requires heavy cast-iron chairs to hold it upright, secured by wooden or steel wedges called keys. It was standard in British railway engineering but rarely used in North America.
Heard on the job
You'll only find bullhead rail on museum tracks or imported heritage rolling stock displays.
Insider tip
The original idea was that the rail could be flipped over when the top wore out, but the bottom invariably wore against the chairs, making flipping impossible.