Railroad tracks run all across America. It’s nearly impossible to drive through a town, no matter how small, without coming across a set of railroad tracks. But have you ever looked down and wondered why every railroad track you see has the same rocks surrounding the tracks?

There’s never a variation of colors, shapes, or sizes. You never see railroad tracks surrounded by pebbles or sitting atop the bare ground. If the tracks aren’t encased in between metal and asphalt so cars can drive over them, they’re surrounded by these rocks. Turns out, there’s a very specific reason for this that even a quick Internet search may not explain without you having to peruse multiple sources.

The simple answer isn’t the whole story

Popping this question into a search engine will yield the result that the rocks are used for the expanding track, which is true. But there’s so much more. These stones aren’t just across America, they’re under railroad tracks in any country that operates the fast-moving cargo and people haulers. The YouTube channel Simple Things – Surprising Histories shares some of the many reasons train........

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