What do US railroad men call what their British counterparts call sleepers?

A railroad tie/railway tie/crosstie (North America), or railway sleeper (UK and Australasia) is a rectangular support for the rails in railroad tracks. Generally laid perpendicular to the rails, ties transfer loads to the track ballast and subgrade, hold the rails upright and keep them spaced to the correct gauge.

Railroad ties are traditionally made of wood, but pre-stressed concrete is now also widely used, especially in Europe and Asia. Steel ties are common on secondary lines in the UK; plastic composite ties are also employed, although far less than wood or concrete.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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17 Comments

mainjim

I was first thinking of a special car on the tracks.

Shirley Dutt

Peggy Tinsley, Evidently not in some places.

earlepg

Robert Oldenburg, Any idea as to why your compatriot British railroaders use the term "sleeper" in this case?

earlepg

Lynne Zeman, I had to reread the question and answer options a couple of times before realizing what the "tie"-in was. Then it seemed that only one word fit into a railroad context. Unfortunately neither the authors explanation nor the article itself seemed to explain why the Brits use the term.

earlepg

Lawanta , I agree. Many errors could be avoided since in order to correct something now requires creating another comment box, which is not usually considered warranted for inconsequential errors.

catmom

mntvoglein, I thought that too.

Lawanta

Robert Oldenburg, I don't think we can edit or delete, it would be nice if we could 🙄

Lawanta

mntvoglein, that too... babies wear sleepers👶

Lawanta

Donald L Hersey, a sleeper is also called a Pullman car, but it's not at the end.

teacherchicky

I thought the question was referring to a sleeper car or someplace on the train where one could be alone and rest and then I realized that though the grammar was poor and the question weirdly worded that it was about cross ties or sleeper ties as the Brits sometimes refer to them.

Lynne Zeman

Huh? I've heard of a sleeper car, but not a sleeper tie. Why would the the tie be given that UK name/nickname? There is a reason, a basis for most names of thing. Why would a railroad rail support be called a "sleeper"?