What do you call the track made by two wheels?

In centuries gone by, before roads were made, what were the trails/paths/roads called that were made by the frequent passage of wagon teams or carriages joining towns together?

Solution 1:

You may be looking for for Ruts or Rutways

The ancient Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians and Greeks constructed roads with artificial wheel-ruts deliberately cut into rock. The ruts were spaced apart from each other the same distance as the wheelspan of an ordinary carriage, and thus constituted grooves that guided the carriages on the rutway._Wikipedia

Picture from the Gaeawiki - Atridean_Empire

Solution 2:

In the northern U.S., the modern equivalent, a rural or forest road created by the passage of motorized vehicles, is called a two-track road.

I could not find a dictionary definition or other official reference, but here are a few example uses:

• A Michigan bike trail
• Another Michigan location
• A Google image search

Solution 3:

In the US, since the days of the Oregon Trail, the ruts themselves are commonly called wagon ruts, and are typically all that is left of a road/path/trail that once was heavily travelled. (Google image search on "wagon ruts")

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5153/5879490093_2b9c2d42e5_b.jpg

But to answer your question, if the ruts developed naturally (were not intentionally built into the roadway, per the "rutways" answer), then I think the "2 track" answer holds. "The Oregon Trail is still visible in parts of the western US as a rutted 2 track through the prairie."