In article ,
(Gregoire Kretz) wrote:

Les Hemmings wrote:

Earths_Child wrote:
More precisely, Leeds or Bradford - anyone know of any local
suppliers who would cut down the sleepers and deliver - I have this
idea for a raised planter.

You don't want real railway sleepers. They smell of poo when warmed by the
sun. At least my mates did...

Not only that, but you'd have to check _very_ carefully if they haven't
been treated: if they're new sleepers you should be fine, but recovered
ones are usually soaked in one industrial weedkiller or another
(creosote ring a bell?).
There's been some talk about this and I'm not sure I'd want that in my
garden, not only for the plants but for myself: some of this stuff was
so toxic it is now banned, and with rain I wouldn't want the chemicals
to trickle on anywhere else...

http://www.creosote.co.uk/
http://www.wood-protection.org/newpu...ce%20on%20Use%
20of%20Creosote%20version%200304.pdf

From which I conclude that you can still buy and use old railway sleepers
for applications where there's no risk of frequent skin contact
and not for "containers intended for growing purposes".
I too would be uncertain about using them for edging vegetable beds.
I've got some providing banking revetment for a steep slope. They don't
smell, they don't ooze tar or creosote even on the hottest days and I
don't eat anything that goes anywhere near them. They're excellent
for doing what they do at a reasonable price.