What is a screw spike?

A rail spike is a mechanical fastening element that holds the rail foot to timber, composite, or steel sleepers, ensuring track alignment, preventing rail creep, and transmitting wheel loads safely to the track structure.

GNEE RAIL provides 3V screw spikes, Coach Screw Spikes, and standard rail spikes, covering NF F50-006, GB, DIN, UIC, JIS, AS1085, BS11, and AREMA/ASCE standards, with surface treatments such as plain, oxide black, zinc, HDG, Dacromet, and Sherardizing, and services including quality testing and project-level supply.

What is a screw spike?
 

A screw spike, also known as a coach screw spike or railway screw spike, is a type of rail fastener used to secure rails or baseplates to wooden sleepers and sometimes concrete sleepers with plastic dowels. Unlike traditional dog spikes that are hammered in, screw spikes are installed by screwing into pre-drilled holes, which provides much higher holding force and better resistance to loosening under vibration.

The threaded shank of a screw spike creates strong mechanical interlock with the sleeper, allowing it to resist vertical uplift, lateral rail movement, and longitudinal forces caused by braking and acceleration. This makes screw spikes especially suitable for heavy-load railway tracks, mining railways, turnouts, bridges, and crane rail systems, where rail stability is critical. In many fastening systems, screw spikes are used together with baseplates and rail pads, so that loads are distributed more evenly and sleeper damage is reduced.

Compared with dog spikes, screw spikes offer better long-term fastening performance and easier maintenance, because they can be tightened or replaced without damaging the sleeper. This also improves gauge retention and reduces the risk of rail creep. For this reason, many modern timber-sleeper tracks and industrial rail systems prefer screw spikes over driven spikes.

What is the function of a rail screw spike?

A rail screw spike functions as a high-strength fastener to securely fix railway rails and base plates to sleepers (ties), preventing vertical and lateral movement. Providing over twice the holding power of traditional dog spikes, they are commonly used in high-speed, heavy-haul, or concrete sleeper applications to maintain track gauge and stability.

Key Functions of Rail Screw Spikes:

• Superior Securement: They provide high-strength vertical and lateral fastening for rail to sleepers, ensuring the track remains stable under heavy train loads.

• High Holding Power: Screw spikes provide approximately twice the grip of traditional dog spikes.

• Versatility: They are used on wooden sleepers (preventing splitting) and are essential for securing fastening systems to concrete sleepers.

• Reduced Maintenance: Due to their strong, threaded connection, they are more resistant to loosening than driven spikes.

• Component Assembly: Often used in conjunction with spring washers and rail clips to create a resilient, flexible fastening system.

Types of Screw Spike

Screw spikes (or rail screws) are threaded fasteners used to secure rail tracks to sleepers, offering higher withdrawal resistance than traditional dog spikes, especially in concrete, where they are used with plastic dowels. Key types include Ss series sleeper screws, square head, hexagon head, and double-head screws.

Rail spike, one of the products of GNEE RAIL , is used to connect the steel rail with rail sleeper or bind the rail plate and rail sleeper together.As a professional rail fasteners supplier,GNEE RAIL offers different kinds of railway fasteners to meet client's requirements, such as Elastic Rail Clip and Clamp, Plastic Dowel, High Tensile Track Bolt with Nut, Rail Base(Tie) Plate, Rail Fish Plate, Railway Shoulder(Insert), Fish Bolt, Railroad Rubber and EVA Pad, etc. Samples and drawings provided by customer, we will manufacture qualified products accordingly.

Click here to obtain the detailed product catalog of GNEE RAIL.