TIMBER, STEEL OR CONCRETE SLEEPERS?

In recent years timber costs have risen so abruptly that railways have had to search for alternate materials for their sleepers. The battering to which a sleeper is subjected under traffic has generally proved too much for the normal reinforced concrete sleeper, but with the introduction of pre-stressing methods, the prospects of concrete in this field are much more promising, especially if some form of resilient cushion is provided between rail and sleeper. The concrete sleeper, though it would appear to outlive its wooden competitor as a rule, is heavier and generally more difficult to handle. Moreover, a road laid with either steel or concrete sleepers is less suitable than a wooden-sleeper track for track-circuiting. It must also be remembered that steel sleepers laid near the sea or in areas where the atmosphere contains corrosive ingredients are subject to serious erosion and deterioration. The relative costs of day-to-day maintenance of wooden, steel, and concrete sleepers are not readily comparable, largely because there are so many different types of fastening used with each.

• Corporate Authors:

  Temple Press Limited

  161-166 Fleet Street
  Longon EC4,   England 
• Publication Date: 1954-7-30

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 116
• Serial:
  • RAILWAY GAZETTE
  • Volume: 101

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Concrete; Concrete ties; Economics; Railroad ties; Steel; Technology; Wood ties
• Geographic Terms: France; Germany; United Kingdom
• Old TRIS Terms: Steel cross ties; Wooden cross ties
• Subject Areas: Economics; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00039573
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 4 1994 12:00AM