cross ties
Railroad bed timbers
Cross ties are the wooden or concrete beams laid perpendicular to railroad tracks, supporting and spacing the rails.
Also called railroad ties or sleepers (British).
The term extends to similar structural supports in other contexts—bracing timbers in construction or reinforcing elements in fencing: The old cross ties were rotting and needed replacement.
- sleepersUnactivated spies or surprise hits
- creosoteCoal-tar distillate for preservation
- pressure treatedChemically preserved against decay
- railHorizontal support bar
- steelCarbon-hardened iron alloy
railroad track · beam · tamping · track · gauge · wood · spike · fastening · turnout · anchoring · crossties · frog · timber · concrete · oak · locomotive · switching · junction
railroad track components
cross tiesrails
Guiding metal bars
steel rails · rail lines · spikes · ballast
track component function
cross tiesrails
Guiding metal bars
rolling stock · train wheels · overhead wires · catenary · ballast