Alan Gould wrote:
In article , Mike Lyle
mike_lyle_uk@REM OVETHISyahoo.co.uk writes

Since the foot and mouth debacle, I believe most railway timbers
are
imported from eastern Europe, where they're being replaced with
concrete.

Most new sleepers being installed now in UK also are concrete.

Ex-BR (etc.) wooden sleepers will almost certainly have been
treated
with creosote and will probably be tainted with effluent from
railway
loo discharges. Some railway disposal companies such as Grant Lyon
Eagre can supply accredited safe sleepers - at a price.

....and a price not worth paying: gardening is built on shit and
corruption. If anybody doesn't like that idea, they'd better swallow
the cyanide now, and save trouble later on! But maybe a good idea not
to lick the sleepers too often, I suppose.

Mike.