# Driving on RR Racks? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [January 5, 2025, 10:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-on-rr-racks/198598 "2025-01-05T22:00:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2025, 2:17am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-on-rr-racks/198598/21 "2025-01-07T02:17:17Z")
They are called Hi-rail (or Road-rail) vehicles… > **[Road–rail vehicle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road%E2%80%93rail_vehicle)** > > A road–rail vehicle or a rail–road vehicle is a dual-mode vehicle which can operate both on rail tracks and roads. They are also known as two-way vehicles (German: Zweiwegefahrzeug), hi-rail (from highway and railway, or variations such as high-rail, HiRail, Hy-rail\[failed verification\]), and rail and road vehicles. > They are often converted road vehicles, keeping their normal wheels with rubber tires, but fitted with additional flanged steel wheels for running on rails. Propulsion is typical... > **[hi-rail vehicles at DuckDuckGo](https://duckduckgo.com/?q=hi-rail%2Bvehicles&atb=v448-1&iax=images&ia=images)** > > DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified. ---
**Author:** ![Hugemoth\_144444](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ee7513/32.png) [@Hugemoth\_144444](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Hugemoth_144444)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2025, 10:03am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-on-rr-racks/198598/22 "2025-01-07T10:03:17Z")
In some third world countries people build small platforms with flanged steel wheels that run on railroad tracks to haul passengers. They strap a small motorcycle to the cart so the rear wheel sets on one of the rails to propel the cart. Very cheap and effective. There are videos on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2025, 2:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-on-rr-racks/198598/23 "2025-01-07T14:57:22Z")
> [@bing](#): > > I think Europe had a different width. Europe has different [widths]([What are the consequences of Europe’s different railway gauges? | RailFreight.com](https://www.railfreight.com/railfreight/2022/04/21/what-are-the-consequences-of-europes-different-railway-gauges/)). ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2025, 4:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-on-rr-racks/198598/24 "2025-01-07T16:53:28Z")
> [@Mustangman](#): > > > [@MikeInNH](#): > > > > the track is perfectly straight. Difficult on any curves > > I’d like to know your thoughts about this in more detail. Mike is right, the gauging (spacing) of the tracks is wider on curves to account for the centrifugal force being applied. The outboard track is also set slightly higher. Way back in the early 80’s I designed a circuit board for the tracklaying machines built by Rexnord… ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2025, 6:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-on-rr-racks/198598/25 "2025-01-07T18:52:34Z")
How much wider gauge? I would think less than two inches, RR wheels, excluding the flange only appear to be 3-4 inches wide, but I never measured them. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2025, 8:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-on-rr-racks/198598/26 "2025-01-07T20:44:04Z")
I don’t recall exactly, too long ago but I do recall it varied based on the radius of the curve. It was a real b%tch working that out in standard logic and analog controls of the day. ---
**Author:** ![WesternRoadtripper1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/48db29/32.png) [@WesternRoadtripper1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/WesternRoadtripper1)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2025, 6:33am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-on-rr-racks/198598/27 "2025-01-08T06:33:25Z")
I have recently seen work trucks owned by railroad companies with conventional tires plus auxillary flanged steel wheels that get lowered onto the tracks, much like the station wagon in the photo. These trucks are used for inspecting and other service work needed on track lines. I’m having a difficult time visualizing rubber tires staying on the track as described by others here. I’ll accept it the reports with reservations until I see a Model T on TIRES, or even a 1970 Dodge Dork, cruising along on steel rails. It’s got to be illegal as hell. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2025, 1:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-on-rr-racks/198598/28 "2025-01-08T13:57:07Z")
> [@WesternRoadtripper1](#): > > 1970 Dodge Dork I didn’t know that Dodge built Dorks. 😉. Is that supposed to be a Dart or truck? Gotta love spell check. ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2025, 1:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-on-rr-racks/198598/29 "2025-01-08T13:57:10Z")
> [@WesternRoadtripper1](#): > > I have recently seen work trucks owned by railroad companies with conventional tires plus auxillary flanged steel wheels that get lowered onto the tracks, much like the station wagon in the photo. You mean like these that I posted a link to?? 😉 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/2/8/28505cc8e9238cf8e945e28c90efe2a2cf86c9aa.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2025, 4:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-on-rr-racks/198598/30 "2025-01-08T16:31:40Z")
Common were I live with both heavy freight and light passenger trains. ---
**Author:** ![WesternRoadtripper1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/48db29/32.png) [@WesternRoadtripper1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/WesternRoadtripper1)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2025, 5:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-on-rr-racks/198598/31 "2025-01-08T17:04:29Z")
> [@jtsanders](#): > > I didn’t know that Dodge built Dorks. 😉. > > Is that supposed to be a Dart or truck? Gotta love spell check. Nope. No spellcheck mistake. Dodge “Dork.” It was the nickname for my (then) girlfriend’s car…45 years ago. A goofy, ugly, soul-less four door sedan. Don’t remember which of us named it, but the car was just so un-cool that the name fit perfectly, and it stuck. In those days, the _word_ dork was cool, but _being_ a dork was not cool. Not so much these days I think. I never revealed to her that I had previously owned a 1960 Plymouth Valiant. Had she known, she would have ditched me for _being_ a dork. ---
**Author:** ![WesternRoadtripper1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/48db29/32.png) [@WesternRoadtripper1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/WesternRoadtripper1)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 5:10am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-on-rr-racks/198598/32 "2025-01-09T05:10:41Z")
> [@davesmopar](#): > > You mean like these that I posted a link to?? Yes sir, just like those, only you have a wider range of examples than I’ve seen personally. Thank you for helping illustrate what I described, much obliged. I guess our friend Henry Ford had a clever idea way back when. ---
**Author:** ![Jerome-Silverman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71e660/32.png) [@Jerome-Silverman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jerome-Silverman)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 10:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-on-rr-racks/198598/33 "2025-01-09T22:26:10Z")
Also had to be high enough to clear the wagon wheel ruts on the roads. A long time ago my father in law took me out in his model A to one of his oil wells where he filled up the tank with condensate. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 5:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-on-rr-racks/198598/34 "2025-01-10T17:06:21Z")
> [@jtsanders](#): > > I didn’t know that Dodge built Dorks Of course, they didn’t but there was a **Dort** make of car, back in the teens and '20s. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/3/c/3c358f065cf19bd42c44bba5801511f52de7e201.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Robert-Gift](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/robert-gift/32/356_2.png) [@Robert-Gift](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Robert-Gift)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2025, 1:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-on-rr-racks/198598/35 "2025-01-12T13:42:22Z")
Heading to play the magnificent pipe organ at St. Paul Catherdral in Pittsburgh, PA, when possible I drove our Gremlin? on the Fifth Avenue trolley tracks. Went from noisyibrating travel on cobblestones to perfectly smooth quiet ride on the rails. The trolley rail’s flangeways would also guide the car around slight bends. From inside the car, traveling on the cobblestones was an.noyance. From the cathedral’steps, vehicle’s tires on the cobblestones created a pleasant sound - unlike my playing. ---
**Author:** ![sheridanpaul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@sheridanpaul](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sheridanpaul)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2025, 10:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-on-rr-racks/198598/36 "2025-01-12T22:23:58Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > …at a rural location & time where the tracks were guaranteed to be train free of course. Only thing guaranteed? Death and taxes. That ride could have taken care of both! [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/driving-on-rr-racks/198598.md?page=1)