What kinds of sleepers are used by IR?

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What kinds of sleepers are used by IR?

July 18, 2019, 2:36 PM

Cast iron sleepers (‘CST-9’) are widely used. They are not very suitable for high-speed traffic and so are not usually seen on the mainline BG sections. The earlier ‘pot sleepers’ were especially prone to problems; newer cast iron sleepers (with ends that have two pockets) are much more laterally stable. Steel trough sleepers (‘ST’) are very common, especially for many high-traffic BG routes. Steel sleepers of various designs have also been used for MG and (by reusing discarded MG sleepers) for NG too.

IR also uses prestressed (pretensioned) concrete sleepers in many areas. Some are monobloc prestressed concrete sleepers, while others are two-piece reinforced concrete sleepers. These came into use in the 1970s, however the twin-block concrete sleepers have gone out of use while the monobloc sleepers continue to be deployed. Standard prestressed concrete sleepers are available for a number of configurations for use in turnouts. Some post-tensioned concrete sleepers do exist on some stretches of track, but these are no longer being manufactured as the factory at Subedarganj, Allahabad, which used to make them has switched to making pretensioned sleepers now. Steel channel sleepers, consisting of two steel channels placed back to back, are used on bridges. These use special polymer or rubber pads between the bridge girders and the sleeper bottom and also below the rails for damping.

The most common sleepers used to be the wooden sleepers, but these are now not seen much anywhere except on bridges and at turnouts, and on branch lines and at remote locations. These may be untreated (from durable woods like teak or sal that have natural resistance to vermin and weather wear) or treated (from softer woods such as deodar, usually heat- and pressure-treated with chemicals such as creosote and furnace oil). Treatment plants for wooden sleepers are at Dhilwan (Punjab), Naharkatia (Assam), Olvakot (Kerala), and Clutterbuckganj (UP).

Wooden sleepers are used on bridges and turnouts because they are very easily cut and sized on site to fit the peculiarities of the particular stretch of track. Wooden sleepers were also preferred for bridges because they are lighter compared to the concrete sleepers, and provide additional damping for vibrations. A small number of wooden sleepers are procured for these reasons while the manufacture of steel channel sleepers and their special damping pads lags. Also, there are [2/05] problems with corrosion with the steel channel sleepers and their large (more than 10) fitting points, as well as some problems with track-circuiting.

[4/01] RDSO had developed some sleepers of synthetic material (fibreglass-reinforced plastic) in conjunction with the Defence Research and Development Organization, which were being used in trials on some bridges and at other places. These sleepers were developed in response to a Supreme Court verdict mandating that wood should gradually be phased out as a material for railway sleepers (environmental concerns). The trials were discontinued and the sleepers are not being used now as they turned out to develop dents and wear marks or grooves very quickly — within two to three years — below the rails (at the rail seats).

Another experimental version involved sleepers made of a composite material consisting of regrind resin, rubber recycled from discarded from automobile tires, and compacted HDPE film. These (named ‘Tietek’) were developed in conjunction with a private firm and have been deployed in trials on some bridges of the NR and ER.

A few stretches of track have ballastless concrete beds with no sleepers (see below).

History: Some of the earliest tracks of the GIPR used stone sleepers. Wood quickly came into widespread use, however, and the frantic pace of railway construction in the late 19th century and early 20th century caused some serious deforestation in many areas.

Source – IFRCA.org

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