ThyssenKrupp Magazin

26 STICHWORT
Y SLEEPERS
The home of the Black Madonna
ters,” or about four inches. It is the material combined with the geometrical shape that
makes the Y sleepers so special. Just under 20 years ago, they were conceived and
developed by the Salzgitter subsidiary Peiner Träger. ThyssenKrupp GfT took part in
the design process, and the two companies jointly own the patent for this innovation.
In 1997, Germany’s Federal Railroad Office approved the Y-Class, in addition to steel
trough, concrete and wooden Y sleepers. Mahn sees ample market potential for this
innovation because the German railroad’s route network has a length of about 33,000
route kilometers, or 20,500 miles, of which two-thirds is suitable for the use of the Y
sleeper. Today the sleeper is used mainly for stretches with speeds of up to 120 kilometers
per hour.
There is, of course, no need for this in Montserrat. People leaving their cars in
Monistrol Vila (where there is parking for 1,000 vehicles and 100 buses) and stepping
into the new rack train make their way up to the final stop at a maximum speed of 45
km/h via. There are some tunnels, but also bridges and long stretches with a wonderful
view of the plain at the bottom of the massif, from which the train seems to distance
itself cog by cog.
Time and timelessness are important concepts for all monasteries – so what is
different about track construction? Says Mahn: “It takes several years before you no-
The monastery is the final
stop for the railway that departs
from Monistrol, at the bottom
of the mountain. The rack railway
makes the ascent across
bridges and through tunnels,
presenting travelers with a
wonderful view of the plain at
the bottom of the massif.
tice that fundamental mistakes have been made in the superstructure.
Superstructure construction is a conservative
technology that takes time. This is why the depreciation
period for superstructure amounts to 25 years on
average.” Y sleepers lay on gravel, a coarse stone, which
has to be water-permeable because “the track has to be
able to breathe.”
SHAPES AS IN HALF-TIMBERED BUILDING
Another advantage of the Y sleeper is the fact that it allows
for the laying of seamlessly welded tracks in tight
bends. Mahn does not even have to pick up the information
brochure with all the details on the cross-tie: The passionate
technician (who was also in charge of the complete
solution for the production of the “gapless track” on
the slab track in the LOS A (level of service) section on the
high-speed connection between Cologne and Frankfurt
on behalf of GfT Gleistechnik) knows all the relevant data
TK Magazine | 1 | 2004 |