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Old 18-04-2006, 04:15 PM posted to austin.gardening
Mike Harris
 
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Default Free railroad ties?

Howdy folks,

On my way home yesterday I happened to drive down East 5th street between
Comal and Chicon (in front of Cafe Mundi). Workers have removed the
railroad tracks and have stacked up the ties in piles.

I don't know what their intent is, but if they're fixin' to landfill them
you might be able to grab a few before they haul them off.
--
Mike Harris
Austin, TX


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Old 19-04-2006, 08:58 AM posted to austin.gardening
Cindy
 
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Default Free railroad ties?

Mike Harris typed:
Howdy folks,

On my way home yesterday I happened to drive down East 5th street
between Comal and Chicon (in front of Cafe Mundi). Workers have
removed the railroad tracks and have stacked up the ties in piles.

I don't know what their intent is, but if they're fixin' to
landfill them you might be able to grab a few before they haul them
off.


They've done that here too. But aren't the ties treated with nasty stuff?
I thought it was bad to use them.

Cindy


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Old 19-04-2006, 05:16 PM posted to austin.gardening
Mike Harris
 
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Default Free railroad ties?

"Cindy" wrote in message
m...
Mike Harris typed:
Howdy folks,

On my way home yesterday I happened to drive down East 5th street
between Comal and Chicon (in front of Cafe Mundi). Workers have
removed the railroad tracks and have stacked up the ties in piles.

I don't know what their intent is, but if they're fixin' to
landfill them you might be able to grab a few before they haul them
off.


They've done that here too. But aren't the ties treated with nasty stuff?
I thought it was bad to use them.

Cindy


Creosote; the phenols don't migrate into the soil to any degree particularly
once they're well-aged. Uptake into plants is nil.

You may be thinking of CCA treated wood; jOhN posted a link to a very well
reasoned article in another thread recently.

The safety of either preservative is open to debate; although I happen not
to use either creosote or CCA treated wood in my garden I would not have any
particular objection to either. I'm exposed to larger quantities of toxins
from other sources than I would ever be from treated wood; IMO it's
ludicrous to worry about the possiblilty of tiny traces of similar toxins
ending up in my home grown food.

Some people fear snakes and scorpions; some fear chemicals. I can't
determine for you where your comfort level is or how you should weigh the
risks against the benefits. If you are concerned about leaching then by all
means don't use railroad ties.
--
Mike Harris
Austin, TX


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Old 20-04-2006, 03:51 AM posted to austin.gardening
jOhN
 
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Default Free railroad ties?

Mike Harris wrote:
Howdy folks,

On my way home yesterday I happened to drive down East 5th street between
Comal and Chicon (in front of Cafe Mundi). Workers have removed the
railroad tracks and have stacked up the ties in piles.

I don't know what their intent is, but if they're fixin' to landfill them
you might be able to grab a few before they haul them off.
--
Mike Harris
Austin, TX


Some when in my past I heard the ties are sold off to folks like
Whittlesey. It might be considered theft to help yourself. Checking with
the railroad could be a good idea.
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Old 20-04-2006, 04:09 AM posted to austin.gardening
harriswest
 
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Default Free railroad ties?

jOhN wrote:

Mike Harris wrote:
Howdy folks,

On my way home yesterday I happened to drive down East 5th street between
Comal and Chicon (in front of Cafe Mundi). Workers have removed the
railroad tracks and have stacked up the ties in piles.

I don't know what their intent is, but if they're fixin' to landfill them
you might be able to grab a few before they haul them off.
--
Mike Harris
Austin, TX


Some when in my past I heard the ties are sold off to folks like
Whittlesey. It might be considered theft to help yourself. Checking with
the railroad could be a good idea.


Sorry, I thought it was clear - finding out whether they were fixin' to
landfill them implied asking permission. Something sitting unattended
does not mean it's free for the taking; I did not mean to imply
otherwise.
--
Mike Harris
Austin, TX


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Old 20-04-2006, 04:17 AM posted to austin.gardening
Cindy
 
Posts: n/a
Default Free railroad ties?

Mike Harris typed:
"Cindy" wrote in message
m...
Mike Harris typed:
Howdy folks,

On my way home yesterday I happened to drive down East 5th street
between Comal and Chicon (in front of Cafe Mundi). Workers have
removed the railroad tracks and have stacked up the ties in piles.

I don't know what their intent is, but if they're fixin' to
landfill them you might be able to grab a few before they haul
them off.


They've done that here too. But aren't the ties treated with
nasty stuff? I thought it was bad to use them.

Cindy


Creosote; the phenols don't migrate into the soil to any degree
particularly once they're well-aged. Uptake into plants is nil.

You may be thinking of CCA treated wood; jOhN posted a link to a
very well reasoned article in another thread recently.

The safety of either preservative is open to debate; although I
happen not to use either creosote or CCA treated wood in my garden
I would not have any particular objection to either. I'm exposed
to larger quantities of toxins from other sources than I would ever
be from treated wood; IMO it's ludicrous to worry about the
possiblilty of tiny traces of similar toxins ending up in my home
grown food.
Some people fear snakes and scorpions; some fear chemicals. I can't
determine for you where your comfort level is or how you should
weigh the risks against the benefits. If you are concerned about
leaching then by all means don't use railroad ties.


Well, I decided not to use railroad ties because they're too darn heavy for
me to move.....!

Cindy


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Old 20-04-2006, 07:25 PM posted to austin.gardening
Jangchub
 
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Default Free railroad ties?

On Wed, 19 Apr 2006 06:58:26 GMT, "Cindy" wrote:

Mike Harris typed:
Howdy folks,

On my way home yesterday I happened to drive down East 5th street
between Comal and Chicon (in front of Cafe Mundi). Workers have
removed the railroad tracks and have stacked up the ties in piles.

I don't know what their intent is, but if they're fixin' to
landfill them you might be able to grab a few before they haul them
off.


They've done that here too. But aren't the ties treated with nasty stuff?
I thought it was bad to use them.

Cindy


Yes, creosote
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