Railroads were once the crown jewel of the United States; manifest destiny captured the hearts and minds of many Americans, epitomized by the completion of the first transcontinental railroad less than a century after the country’s founding. Infrastructure at this size and scale had never been seen before, and in fact, it wouldn’t have been possible without the inception of the modern steel industry only several decades earlier. With mass-produced steel enormous structures with incredible load-bearing capacity could be used to construct new and improved infrastructure, which at the time, was largely centered around the railroad. Since then steel has become all but ubiquitous for trains and railways structures like bridges that have only become stronger and more sophisticated with time. But while steel structures are bigger and better today than ever before, the same challenges that plagued early railway structures remain, most notably, corrosion. An ever present concern for most metal surfaces, steel railway structures are no different, except that the consequences of unmitigated degradation can have more significant economic, environmental, and human safety concerns than for most other types of steel structures. It’s therefore essential to take additional steps to protect steel railways from rust and corrosion along with other chemical and mechanical risk factors. To this end, protective coatings like ArmorThane’s polyurea can be used as a reliable, cost-effective, and long-lasting technology, proven to perform across the test of time in myriad environments across the globe. But how does it work, and why are ArmorThane’s polyurea formulations the best solution available?