Family & Relationships1 min ago
Railway sleepers
2 Answers
Why are they called railway sleepers
Answers
1 to 2 of 2
Best Answer
No best answer has yet been selected by shoube. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.
Two possible meanings, at least in U.S. A sleeper can be a sleeping car, more popularly known as Pullman cars, after their inventor, in which a small room or even a berth can be purchased for overnight trips. Additionally, the railroad ties, the wooden support structures on which the rails rest, are also known as sleepers... again, at least in U.S.
And here's the reason why...
As long ago as the 1600s in general building and the 1700s in railways, a strong, horizontal beam or balk of wood has been called a "dormant timber" or "sleeper", probably because it seems rather like a human body laid out for sleep and doesn't appear actually to be doing anything very much.
(There were, of course, "railways" long before Stephenson etc in mines and such like.)
1 to 2 of 2
