Sleepers Collection

Patrolling the permanent way, Manningtree, Essex, May 1948
A ganger patrolling the permanent way, Manningtree, Essex, May 1948. Maintanence of the permanent way was essential for the safe running of the railway

City of Living Dead
CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD (L Manning and F Pratt) Virtual reality foreseen : these sleepers choose to live adventures transmitted to them by sensory control

Dymchurch Light Railway
The Green Goddess, a locomotive on the The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Light Railway (a miniature railway), Kent, England, pulling out of a station

COURBET, Gustave (1819-1877). The Sleepers, or Sleep. Realism. Oil on canvas

Vagrants asleep in Green Park, Central London
During their daytime opening hours, Londons parks provided a pleasant place for the citys tramps and vagrants to sleep. Green Park, shown here, was typical

Horse-Drawn Railway / 1820
Birkinshaws horse-drawn railway, characteristic of those in general use at this time

USA History: The pacific railway. preparation of sleepers
5313530 USA History: The pacific railway. preparation of sleepers.; SeM Studio/UIG

Culebra Cut, Culebra - Gang of 150 Men Shifting Track By Hand, January 1912. Creator: Harris & Ewing
Culebra Cut, Culebra - Gang of 150 Men Shifting Track By Hand, January 1912. Men working on the Panama Canal project

Old railway track at Winsford, Cheshire
Bullhead rail on stone sleepers at Over & Wharton (Winsford, Cheshire) on the LNWR. Possibly a re-use of redundant tramway blocks? Date: 1905

Stephensons (1833) Locomotive, (1887). Creator: Unknown
Stephensons (1833) Locomotive, (1887). Diagram showing fire box, smoke box, steam head, boiler, wheels and flanges etc. The Patentee steam locomotive was introduced by pioneering British railway

Blaenavon, South Wales, retired miner
A retired coal miner walks along the railway track with his mongrel dog at Blaenavon, South Wales. In the background is a redundant steam locomotive. First published in The Sunday Times in 1988. 1988

Improvised Bridge, near Cordoba; Spanish Civil War, 1936
Photograph showing an improvised bridge, made of wooden sleepers, at Constantina, near Cordoba, 1936. The bridge had been blown up by Republican troops to try to slow down the Nationalist advance

Spirits seek to waken travellers sleeping at sea
Spirits of the dead seek to waken travellers sleeping at sea - but the sleepers sleep on, and the spirits wail in vain, forgotten

Appomattox Station, Virginia, April 1865. Creator: Alexander Gardner
Appomattox Station, Virginia, April 1865. Albumen print, pl. 97 from the album " Gardners Photographic Sketch Book of the War, Volume II" (1866)

The Allatoona Pass, looking North, GA, 1866. Creator: George N. Barnard
The Allatoona Pass, looking North, GA, 1866. Albumen print, plate 28 from the album " Photographic Views of the Sherman Campaign" (1866)

Malloys Cut, Sherman Station, Laramie Range, 1868 / 69. Creator: Andrew Joseph Russell
Malloys Cut, Sherman Station, Laramie Range, 1868/69. Albumen print, pl. iv from the album " Sun Pictures of Rocky Mountain Scenery" (1870)

In Darkest New York, Midnight in a Cheap Underground Lodging Cellar, "three cents a spot"(litho)
6022052 In Darkest New York, Midnight in a Cheap Underground Lodging Cellar, " three cents a spot" (litho) by American School

Making the Soudan Military Railway (litho)
1063818 Making the Soudan Military Railway (litho) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Making the Soudan Military Railway)

Railway-Making in Rhodesia, the Mafeking-Buluwayo Extension (b / w photo)
1598238 Railway-Making in Rhodesia, the Mafeking-Buluwayo Extension (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Railway-Making in Rhodesia)

Samuel Reed (1818-91) Superintendent of Construction for the Union Pacific Railroad
PNP246753 Samuel Reed (1818-91) Superintendent of Construction for the Union Pacific Railroad, 1866 (b/w photo) by American Photographer

The stragglers at Stonehenge (engraving)
728866 The stragglers at Stonehenge (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The stragglers at Stonehenge: " Its a very sad thing to be caught in the rain)

The Barrage of the Nile (litho)
1615507 The Barrage of the Nile (litho) by Loye, Charles Auguste (Montbard) (1841-1905); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Barrage of the Nile)

The Philippine Trouble, the Damage to the Manila Railway (b / w photo)
1592506 The Philippine Trouble, the Damage to the Manila Railway (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Philippine Trouble)

"Sleepers, Wake!", an Early Morning Scene on the "Ophir"(litho)
1040498 " Sleepers, Wake!", an Early Morning Scene on the " Ophir" (litho) by Hatherell, William (1855-1928) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: " Sleepers, Wake)

With Sir Gerald Graham at Suakim (engraving)
1045028 With Sir Gerald Graham at Suakim (engraving) by Fripp, Charles Edwin (1854-1906); Private Collection; (add.info.: With Sir Gerald Graham at Suakim)

Construction du Transsiberien (colour litho)
2787105 Construction du Transsiberien (colour litho) by Bombled, Louis Charles (1862-1927) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Construction du Transsiberien)

Track-layers gang-building the Union Pacific Railroad through American wilderness
PNP246755 Track-layers gang-building the Union Pacific Railroad through American wilderness, 1860s (b/w photo) by American Photographer

A Salvation Army Shelter for Women in Whitechapel (engraving)
1056326 A Salvation Army Shelter for Women in Whitechapel (engraving) by Renouard, Charles Paul (1845-1924) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: A Salvation Army Shelter for Women in Whitechapel)

Military School (chromolitho)
732878 Military School (chromolitho) by French School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Military School.); Look and Learn / Barbara Loe Collection

The Soudan Rebellion (litho)
1063813 The Soudan Rebellion (litho) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Soudan Rebellion)

The sleepers are very beautiful as they lie unclothed Date: 1913

The Allatoona Pass Looking North, Georgia, 1860s. Creator: George N. Barnard
The Allatoona Pass Looking North, Georgia, 1860s

City Point, Virginia. Terminus of U. S. Military Railroad, 1861-65
City Point, Virginia. Terminus of U.S. Military Railroad, 1861-65. Formerly attributed to Mathew B. Brady

Homeless men sleeping on Southwark Bridge, London 1900
Homeless men sleeping rough in London. Date: 1900

War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells - First Publication
The Martian Fighting- Machines wreck the railways. The War of the Worlds is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells (1866-1946)

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PERU Transport Railway track through the Andes mountain range Puno to Cusco Perurail train journey. Cuzco Travel

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PERU Transport Railway track through the Andes mountain range Puno to Cusco Perurail train journey. Cuzco Travel

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PERU Transport Railway track through the Andes mountain range Puno to Cusco Perurail train journey. Cuzco Travel

EyeUbiquitous_20108661
Urban garden with pebble path and railway sleepers

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Urban garden with pebble path and railway sleepers

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Urban garden with pebble path and railway sleepers

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Urban garden with pebble path and railway sleepers

Blurred railway line, Didcot to Oxford

Light at the end of the tunnel?
Shot at the end of one of the immensely long platforms in a London train station

Railway tracks at Oxford Station

Mauritania, Inchiri, The Railways of of the Goods Transport Station at Nouadhibou Port, showing carriages laiden down with goods ready for transportation to the container ships

Cushendun, County Antrim, Ireland, Railway Sleepers Used As Beach Defense

Irish Jewish Museum, Portobello Dublin, Ireland

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"Sleepers: A Journey Through Time and Space" Step into a world where sleepers hold stories untold, where the echoes of history resonate through their silent presence. From patrolling the permanent way in Manningtree, Essex, back in May 1948 to the eerie City of Living Dead at Dymchurch Light Railway, these they have witnessed it all. As we delve deeper into this captivating realm, we stumble upon an artwork by Gustave Courbet depicting vagrants asleep in Green Park, Central London. Their slumber becomes a reflection of society's forgotten souls seeking solace amidst bustling city life. Traveling further down memory lane, we encounter the Horse-Drawn Railway from 1820—a testament to human ingenuity and determination. The improvised bridge near Cordoba during the Spanish Civil War reminds us of both desperation and resilience that arise from conflict-ridden times. But it is not just terrestrial realms that harbor sleeping secrets; even spirits seek to awaken travelers sleeping at sea. Their ethereal presence lingers as they intertwine with dreams on vast oceanic journeys. The Stephensons' locomotive from 1833 emerges like a mechanical marvel—an embodiment of progress and innovation that revolutionized transportation forever. Its creator may remain unknown but its impact remains undeniable. We tread upon old railway tracks at Winsford, Cheshire—traces left behind by countless journeys taken and memories made. And then there are moments frozen in time like Appomattox Station in Virginia during April 1865 or the Allatoona Pass looking North in Georgia captured by Alexander Gardner and George N. Barnard respectively—reminders of turbulent chapters etched into our collective consciousness. These sleepers tell tales beyond words; they whisper stories only discernible to those who dare listen closely. They invite us to ponder over lives lived before ours—their joys and sorrows interwoven within each wooden beam beneath our feet.