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I was riding the train to work about a year ago and randomly googled this exact issue. I was amazed at how much thought actually goes into designing the ballast, as I had always assumed it was just some random fine gravel.

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Almost everything always has much more thought given to it than it might first appear. Civil engineering is quite a fascinating subject, not least because how old it is, by far one of the earliest branches of engineering.

> Almost everything always has much more thought given to it than it might first appear.

This statement ought to be in the guidelines for HN.

Oh, definitely.

> Almost everything always has much more thought given to it than it might first appear.

A credo to live by in work and in general - one of the most terrifying phrases in the English language is "it's just...".

Maybe I missed it but is there a type of stone that is used, or just whatever is locally available? Around where I live that would be limestone but I am guessing that's too soft for this sort of use.

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