English: Steel sleepers at Dovey Junction. During track renewals on the Cambrian lines, the rails of ordinary track are now mostly laid on steel sleepers (except for point-work - see 1083540). That also applies to the new passing loop at Dovey Junction, as seen here. There was once an issue with steel sleepers in that they were unable to be used where speeds exceeded 60 mph because they provided no damping and all forces were transmitted to the underlying ballast. Improvements in the design of the sleepers themselves, the track fixings and the insulation pads between the rails and the sleepers appear to have overcome these problems. It is now suggested that their use could provide track maintenance economies on even the most heavily used and fastest routes in the UK. The maximum speed on the Cambrian routes is 90 mph. The track in the picture has not yet been fully ballasted, that will be done once the loop is complete. The ballast will then be level with the top of the sleeper.