Although often gritty and rough, the lines, chris-crosses and grids of urban life can be seen as elegant texture. In particular the railroad, past and present, provides a lot of inspiration. The Permanent Way is the name given to the track on a railway or railroad. This structure consists of the rails, fasteners, railroad ties (sleepers, British English) and ballast (or slab track). It is described as permanent way because in the earlier days of railway construction, contractors often laid a temporary track to transport spoil and materials about the site; when this work was substantially completed, the temporary track was taken up and the permanent way installed.