Raillway sleepers

[Arno and Triny]

Hi,

can anyone help me....I am after some raillway sleepers to make some bed
plant.
I have look around but cannot find any anyone got any idea where around
sydney they can be found?
Thanks.

Arnaud

[Terry Collins]

Arno and Triny wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> can anyone help me....I am after some raillway sleepers to make some bed
> plant.
> I have look around but cannot find any anyone got any idea where around
> sydney they can be found?

One mob around Campbelltown is called Stateline (?). I think they have a
contract to take all SRA sleepers. I've misplaced the mobile number and
will not pass the place again until the end of January.

RIC (Rail Infrastructure Corporation should be able to assist with
suppliers.

[Arno and Triny]

do you think they sell them or give them away>?

Arnaud

"Terry Collins" > wrote in message
...
> Arno and Triny wrote:
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > can anyone help me....I am after some raillway sleepers to make some bed
> > plant.
> > I have look around but cannot find any anyone got any idea where around
> > sydney they can be found?
>
> One mob around Campbelltown is called Stateline (?). I think they have a
> contract to take all SRA sleepers. I've misplaced the mobile number and
> will not pass the place again until the end of January.
>
> RIC (Rail Infrastructure Corporation should be able to assist with
> suppliers.

[evan]

Arno and Triny wrote:
here in melbourne just about every garden suply place sell them in a
range of qualitys. the sort of place that sells bulk soil, rock, pavers,
mulch etc.

evan.
> Hi,
>
> can anyone help me....I am after some raillway sleepers to make some bed
> plant.
> I have look around but cannot find any anyone got any idea where around
> sydney they can be found?
> Thanks.
>
> Arnaud
>
>

[Chookie]

In article >,
"Arno and Triny" > wrote:

> can anyone help me....I am after some raillway sleepers to make some bed
> plant.

I would only use *used* railway sleepers in beds for ornamental plants. Our
railways are sprayed with arsenic to kill weeds, so some would be absorbed by
the sleepers.

> I have look around but cannot find any anyone got any idea where around
> sydney they can be found?

Have you rung any large nurseries or landscape suppliers?

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Jeez; if only those Ancient Greek storytellers had known about the astonishing
creature that is the *Usenet hydra*: you cut off one head, and *a stupider one*
grows back..." -- MJ, cam.misc

[Terry Collins]

Arno and Triny wrote:
>
> do you think they sell them or give them away>?

Umm, do you have any idea of the demand for these things in landscaping?
$8 each + GST + delivery for a load of 50 was the quote I received.

[Rod Out back]

"Chookie" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "Arno and Triny" > wrote:
>
> > can anyone help me....I am after some raillway sleepers to make some bed
> > plant.
>
> I would only use *used* railway sleepers in beds for ornamental plants.
Our
> railways are sprayed with arsenic to kill weeds, so some would be absorbed
by
> the sleepers.
>
> > I have look around but cannot find any anyone got any idea where around
> > sydney they can be found?
>
> Have you rung any large nurseries or landscape suppliers?

A lot of wooden railway sleepers (in QLD anyway) have been treated with
creosote, or something similarly carcinogenic. I remember seeing railway
workers in the late 1980's that had pretty nasty skin irritations from the
chemical on the new sleepers. Of course, they should have been wearing the
heavy gauntlets they were supplied with, but apparently they get a bit hot
to wear all the time....

I dont know if they still treat all sleepers with this stuff (or if it is
only a QLD thing to deal with termites), but I have been somewhat sceptical
about using railway sleepers for garden work ever since. Especially where
they might be sat on or leant against regularly, or where the sleepers might
leach contaminants into garden bed soil.

Maybe gardening stores have access to untreated sleepers; I would hope so,
when looking at how nasty creosote is...I would be very insistent to hear
how they guarantee their sleepers dont have anything that might leach into
the soil.

Sleepers most likely arent still treated with Creosote, but I would be
interested to find out if they are treated with anything, as it may have an
effect on a garden, or young children(or both).

My $0.02.

Cheers,

Rod........Out Back

> Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
> (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)
>
> "Jeez; if only those Ancient Greek storytellers had known about the
astonishing
> creature that is the *Usenet hydra*: you cut off one head, and *a stupider
one*
> grows back..." -- MJ, cam.misc

[Trish Brown]

Rod Out back wrote:

> A lot of wooden railway sleepers (in QLD anyway) have been treated with
> creosote, or something similarly carcinogenic. I remember seeing railway
> workers in the late 1980's that had pretty nasty skin irritations from the
> chemical on the new sleepers. Of course, they should have been wearing the
> heavy gauntlets they were supplied with, but apparently they get a bit hot
> to wear all the time....
>
> I dont know if they still treat all sleepers with this stuff (or if it is
> only a QLD thing to deal with termites), but I have been somewhat sceptical
> about using railway sleepers for garden work ever since. Especially where
> they might be sat on or leant against regularly, or where the sleepers might
> leach contaminants into garden bed soil.
>
> Maybe gardening stores have access to untreated sleepers; I would hope so,
> when looking at how nasty creosote is...I would be very insistent to hear
> how they guarantee their sleepers dont have anything that might leach into
> the soil.
>
> Sleepers most likely arent still treated with Creosote, but I would be
> interested to find out if they are treated with anything, as it may have an
> effect on a garden, or young children(or both).
>
> My $0.02.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Rod........Out Back

Dunno... but I think it's six of one and half a dozen of the other, really.

Used sleepers are weathered nicely but protected with whatever it is that State
Rail puts on them (as well as train poo, and who could guess what *that*
contains!). New sleepers are treated with the same (or similar) chemical they
use to treat Kopper logs. It's a salt of copper (and therefore poisonous to man
and beast) and it escapes me how they can use those logs in playground
construction when it would seem to be so dangerous to kids! Dunno...

FWIW, I was once renting a place where the long, narrow garden beds were raised
to a height of three sleepers sat one on top of the other for their full length.
I've never found weeding and planting and cultivating so *easy*! It was exactly
the right height to sit comfortably on and the only problem was that heavy rain
would wash a tiny bit of soil out from between the sleepers. Not much, though! I
still dream of finding a cache of weathered sleepers hanging around somewhere so
that I could build a similar garden in my own place!

--
Trish {|:-}
Newcastle, NSW, Australia

[A Little Bit]

On Thu, 08 Jan 2004 21:14:01 +1100, Terry Collins > wrote:

> Umm, do you have any idea of the demand for these things in landscaping?
> $8 each + GST + delivery for a load of 50 was the quote I received.

That is an excellent price. I purchased some around 6 years ago and they cost
me $10 each.

[Arno and Triny]

got a place near sydney that give them away for free let me know if
interested.
"Trish Brown" > wrote in message
...
> Rod Out back wrote:
>
> > A lot of wooden railway sleepers (in QLD anyway) have been treated with
> > creosote, or something similarly carcinogenic. I remember seeing railway
> > workers in the late 1980's that had pretty nasty skin irritations from
the
> > chemical on the new sleepers. Of course, they should have been wearing
the
> > heavy gauntlets they were supplied with, but apparently they get a bit
hot
> > to wear all the time....
> >
> > I dont know if they still treat all sleepers with this stuff (or if it
is
> > only a QLD thing to deal with termites), but I have been somewhat
sceptical
> > about using railway sleepers for garden work ever since. Especially
where
> > they might be sat on or leant against regularly, or where the sleepers
might
> > leach contaminants into garden bed soil.
> >
> > Maybe gardening stores have access to untreated sleepers; I would hope
so,
> > when looking at how nasty creosote is...I would be very insistent to
hear
> > how they guarantee their sleepers dont have anything that might leach
into
> > the soil.
> >
> > Sleepers most likely arent still treated with Creosote, but I would be
> > interested to find out if they are treated with anything, as it may have
an
> > effect on a garden, or young children(or both).
> >
> > My $0.02.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Rod........Out Back
>
> Dunno... but I think it's six of one and half a dozen of the other,
really.
>
> Used sleepers are weathered nicely but protected with whatever it is that
State
> Rail puts on them (as well as train poo, and who could guess what *that*
> contains!). New sleepers are treated with the same (or similar) chemical
they
> use to treat Kopper logs. It's a salt of copper (and therefore poisonous
to man
> and beast) and it escapes me how they can use those logs in playground
> construction when it would seem to be so dangerous to kids! Dunno...
>
> FWIW, I was once renting a place where the long, narrow garden beds were
raised
> to a height of three sleepers sat one on top of the other for their full
length.
> I've never found weeding and planting and cultivating so *easy*! It was
exactly
> the right height to sit comfortably on and the only problem was that heavy
rain
> would wash a tiny bit of soil out from between the sleepers. Not much,
though! I
> still dream of finding a cache of weathered sleepers hanging around
somewhere so
> that I could build a similar garden in my own place!
>
> --
> Trish {|:-}
> Newcastle, NSW, Australia

[Andrew G]

"Arno and Triny" > wrote in message
u...
> Hi,
>
> can anyone help me....I am after some raillway sleepers to make some bed
> plant.
> I have look around but cannot find any anyone got any idea where around
> sydney they can be found?
> Thanks.
>
> Arnaud
>
>

You could possibly try sawmills in your area as my brother got them for
about $3 each about 10yr ago. They were rejects that may have slight bows or
large knots. The wall he built with them, about 10ft high is still going
well.
Also, I have been to a sawmill near where I live where they actually had
100s of them that could be cut for firewood (which is what we did) on the
spot, or bought very cheaply. Of course they weren't treated at that stage.

Good luck

[Terry Collins]

A Little Bit wrote:
>
> On Thu, 08 Jan 2004 21:14:01 +1100, Terry Collins > wrote:
>
> > Umm, do you have any idea of the demand for these things in landscaping?
> > $8 each + GST + delivery for a load of 50 was the quote I received.
>
> That is an excellent price. I purchased some around 6 years ago and they cost
> me $10 each.

I basically purchased a 4 (?)ton truck load. All he had to do was go to
the then SRA depot, have enough bundles dropped inside the bin, drive to
my place and dump them and he had already been paid by cheque when I
accepted his prive.

[Peter and Susan]

Rod Out back > wrote in message
...
> Maybe gardening stores have access to untreated sleepers; I would hope so,
> when looking at how nasty creosote is...I would be very insistent to hear
> how they guarantee their sleepers dont have anything that might leach into
> the soil.

Our neighbour used to have untreated railway sleepers in his retaining wall.
It only lasted about 10 years before it needed replacing. Obviously this
would be something to keep in mind if you are looking at used sleepers.

I recently read an interesting article about CCA treated playgrounds which
manufacturer sealed all wood as an additional preventive for CCA leeching.
The article at http://www.projplay.org/pressure_treated_lumber.htm makes
interesting reading for anyone with CCA concerns.

Susan

[Sandra]

Landscape gardeners sell and seliver them. If you go bush, you might find a
bridge under repair and can then ask the governing authority if you can have
them. Very heavy.

Sandra
"Arno and Triny" > wrote in message
u...
> Hi,
>
> can anyone help me....I am after some raillway sleepers to make some bed
> plant.
> I have look around but cannot find any anyone got any idea where around
> sydney they can be found?
> Thanks.
>
> Arnaud
>
>