You must have seen the railway tracks several times in your life. Did you notice that the rails are not directly laid on the ground? Instead, they are arranged on special components followed by proper gauging. Do you have any idea about what those special components are? If not, then here is the answer, they are railway sleepers. Below is a description about railway sleepers along with their variable types.
What are Railway Sleepers?
The railway sleepers refer to special and exclusively designed components on to which the rails are arranged. They rest on their respective ballasts and are known by the name of ties in some places. The sleepers take the load of the trains. Finally, the entire load gets distributed all along the ballast that prevents in the breaking of rails.
The functions associated with railway sleepers are innumerable. Some vital ones have been mentioned as under:
- The sleepers offer both lateral as well as longitudinal stability
- Exclusively manufactured sleepers help in reducing the vibrations of rails
- It becomes easy in transferring the load from rails towards the ground
- Maintaining a uniform gauge followed by holding the rails in the best manner
After knowing about some of the exclusive functionalities associated with railway sleepers, it is time to know the various types of sleepers.
What are the Different Types of Railway Sleepers Available?
If there had been no railway sleepers, then it would have resulted in havoc. The trains would face lots and lots of difficulties at the time of rolling. Also, there would innumerable train accidents resulting in loss of human lives. The sleepers have been distinguished into various categories that have been mentioned in a nutshell as under:
- Wooden sleepers – Wooden sleepers as clear from its name, are manufactured using wood. Timber is mainly used in this case. As these have gained the recognition of meeting almost all requirements, they have been regarded as the best.
Whenever it comes to durability, wooden sleepers are less durable. They are subjected to easy decay. The maintenance cost is also high.
- Steel sleepers – These are special types of sleepers that have been constructed with steel troughs comprising of appreciable thickness. Being light-in-weight, these have higher longevity than wooden sleepers. Steel sleepers are easy to adjust and maintain.
In terms of cost, the initial investment in case of steel sleepers is much more than compared to wooden sleepers. As they are liable to corrosion, they cannot be regarded suitable for every type of ballast.
- Concrete sleepers – Concrete sleepers are special types of sleepers that are manufactured using concrete along with reinforcement from inside. They are highly popular due to the high stability and low maintenance. Such a feature makes it highly suitable for high speed rails.
The concrete sleepers being heavy in-terms of weight are a bit difficult in terms of handling. As a result, little bit of damage may occur at the time of transporting. These sleepers are not suitable for tracks on the bridges and crossings.
- Cast iron sleepers – Cast iron sleepers are popular for providing a strong seat to the railway. As their manufacturing is easy, they hardly need to undergo longer transportation. These sleepers are known for providing strong seat to rail.
Cast iron being brittle in nature may easily get damaged at the time of handling. They have higher chances of getting corroded and are not suitable for coastal regions. Frequent maintenance is required.
These are the various types of sleepers that are used for laying of railway tracks. Based on the location and need, the right type of sleeper is selected.
