bullheadSchienen

Bullhead Schienen, known in English as bullhead rail, is a historical railway rail profile distinguished by a head that sits atop a relatively thick web and, in cross-section, resembles a bull’s head. This profile was widely used in the 19th and early 20th centuries before flat-bottom rails became dominant. The rail is designed to be inserted into cast-iron or steel chairs that are bolted to wooden sleepers, with joints traditionally formed by fishplates and bolts.

One of the defining features of bullhead rails is their reversibility: the head could be rotated to distribute wear more evenly, extending service life in heavy-traffic networks. This characteristic, combined with the chair-and-sleeper arrangement, influenced maintenance practices and the overall geometry of early track layouts. The profile also required a specific chair design and rail fastenings, which contributed to higher maintenance costs compared with later flat-bottom systems.

Geographically, bullhead rails were common in the British Isles and in many colonial and continental networks during the transition era between old and modern practices. As railway technology progressed, most networks shifted to flat-bottom rails, which seated directly on sleepers and used clip or wedge fastenings, enabling easier assembly, heavier loads, and higher speeds. Today, bullhead rails are primarily of historical interest, found on heritage lines, in museums, and in preserved railway equipment. In German-language sources, the term Bullhead-Schiene is commonly used to refer to this profile.