Concrete sleepers: Laying

Concrete sleepers: Laying

Concrete sleepers are heavy, and as such manual handling of concrete sleepers is not only difficult, but may generally damage the sleeper as well. In exceptional cases, however, manual handling, including manual laying of concrete sleepers, is resorted to after taking adequate precautions.

In the case of the mechanical relaying system, normally two portal cranes are used on Indian Railways and relaying is done using prefabricated panels. The existing rail panels are removed by gantry cranes, the ballast is levelled up, and prefabricated panels are then laid with the help of portal cranes. The following operations are involved.

(a)  Preparation work at the site of relaying

(b) Pre-assembly of panels in base depots

(c)  Actual relaying operation

(d) Post-relaying work

The full details of the manual relaying method as well as of the mechanical relaying system are given in Chapter 21.