Non-motoring > Railway Sleepers....	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: R.P.	Replies: 35

New Fri 18 Jun 10 12:02   Railway Sleepers.... - R.P.

Landscape gardener's solution involves some railway sleepers.....one of these leeches creosote at an alarming rate - I was actually watching it bubble in the sun yesterday ! This one sleeper is now thick with the evil stuff....any ideas on how to remove it - annoyingly the dog likes walking on these sleepers......My wife has suggested setting light to it.....! Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 12:20   Railway Sleepers.... - Ted

I'm not sure either the dog or the RSPCA would be too happy about that, Pug ! Ted Reply to this message | Report message       1

New Fri 18 Jun 10 12:25   Railway Sleepers.... - Zero

Not as stupid as it sounds, It will take days for a railway sleeper to burn through, but if you get the surface temperature right it will burn the surface creosote out like a wick drawing oil from a reservoir, leaving the sleeper mostly untouched. The only other way is to cover it with gunk, and pressure wash it. The creosote wil lcome back tho as you only get the surface off. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 12:25   Railway Sleepers.... - Bigtee

Old engine oil mixed with cresote or diesel and apply this to the wood sleeper but don't stand on it when wet or you will go flying we have about 3 thousand here in the station i know im on the track soon! Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 12:30   Railway Sleepers.... - FotheringtonTomas

Remove it and replace it with another, or turn it around. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 12:35   Railway Sleepers.... - crocks

I think the only permanent solution is to replace the sleeper with a new one without creosote. But have fun setting light to the old one first. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 12:54   Railway Sleepers.... - Ted

Ah, sorry, I misunderstood. It read as though the answer was setting fire to the dog ! ( Which would solve the problem, anyway ) Ted Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 12:56   Railway Sleepers.... - Fenlander

Pretty well all our gate posts on this place are old sleepers or telegraph poles. This tar leeching to the surface will go on for ever. We have one particular telegraph pole gate post where the top starts to bleed tar this time of year in a place that's easily touched. I heard the Mrs grumble the other day and she went looking for white spirit. As said by others either turn around or replace. Ours happens to be the top of a 4ft post where it wicks up to the surface so I think I'll make it a traditional tin hat before the complaints come rolling in again this summer. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 13:16   Railway Sleepers.... - Tooslow

We've just replaced some genuine sleepers round the veg patch. The leaves on some plants were turning brown and a few were really suffering. The idea of eating the veg really doesn't appeal. The sleepers have been replaced with new "sleepers". At huge expense :-( JH Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 13:44   Railway Sleepers.... - L'escargot

www.railwaysleeper.com/railway%20sleeper%20treatments.htm Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 14:11   Railway Sleepers.... - bathtub tom

When I were nowt but a lad I remember seeing how sleepers and telegraph poles were treated. They were pressure cooked in creosote to force the stuff deep inside the timber, over quite a period of time. I'd keep the dogs off it, I believe it can 'burn' their pads. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 14:15   Railway Sleepers.... - R.P.

The dog is kept off it ! I think the swap out suggestion is best - out of 11 sleepers around the newly laid lawn, this is the only one that does this. I was watching a neighbour actually painting hers the other afternoon... Ted I thought that my dearest was suggesting torching the dog - they get on, but only after a fashion....awkward little fellow that he is. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 14:41   Railway Sleepers.... - Zero

>> Ted I thought that my dearest was suggesting torching the dog - they get on, >> but only after a fashion....awkward little fellow that he is. clearly deeply misunderstood. The dog that is. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 16:01   Railway Sleepers.... - Ted

As are many of his posts on here, Z ! :-) Ted Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 16:12   Railway Sleepers.... - Zero

Ah, Now I realise the variability of his posts, I didnt realise the dog was doing it. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 19:11   Railway Sleepers.... - Haywain

Every so often, I dust the tops of my bleeding sleepers with fine sand. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 19:25   Railway Sleepers.... - Alastairw

Grandfather always reckoned sleepers made the best ever fire wood. Cutting the sleepers down small enough for the kitchen fire was a fine way of keeping warm for his hardworked grandchildren and an old fashioned bow saw. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 19:39   Railway Sleepers.... - Zero

dirty filthy things when burned, thats why they brought in the clear air act. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 19:42   Railway Sleepers.... - rtj70

A house we nearly bought had an open fire and the seller said how he enjoyed burning wood. Since realised burning wood and similar is liable to a £1000 fine! I wonder if the buyers know the fire is useless? Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 19:49   Railway Sleepers.... - Iffy

Does the Clean Air Act apply outside towns and cities? I heard somewhere it is still legal to burn wood on an open fire in the country. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 19:57   Railway Sleepers.... - Zero

>> Does the Clean Air Act apply outside towns and cities? >> >> I heard somewhere it is still legal to burn wood on an open fire in >> the country. www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1993/ukpga_19930011_en_4 Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 19:57   Railway Sleepers.... - Manatee

No problem burning wood or coal outside a smoke control area AFAIK - that's the principle I employ anyway! Plenty of LAs don't have any smoke control areas in them. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 20:06   Railway Sleepers.... - R.P.

New build houses we've been looking at have wood burning stoves.... Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 19:52   Railway Sleepers.... - MD

>> A house we nearly bought had an open fire and the seller said how he >> enjoyed burning wood. Since realised burning wood and similar is liable to a £1000 fine! >> I wonder if the buyers know the fire is useless? >> ? Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 19:54   Railway Sleepers.... - MD

French Oak 'Sleepers' £30.00 each maximum. Creosote is so old hat don't you know? Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 19:55   Railway Sleepers.... - R.P.

"my" sleepers are South African. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 19:58   Railway Sleepers.... - Zero

They ship old sleepers from south africa to here? Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 20:07   Railway Sleepers.... - R.P.

Yep - read the snail's link. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 20:25   Railway Sleepers.... - Zero

hells bells, what a dreadfull waste of resources, they wil be flying fresh avocados round the world next Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 19:58   Railway Sleepers.... - Manatee

>> I wonder if the buyers know the fire is useless? >> Smokeless fuel? Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 21:41   Railway Sleepers.... - rtj70

>> Smokeless fuel? Apart from the fact he was happy to be burning the rest of the tree in the bag garden when we we there ;-) It was piled out back and some burning when we last went round. If smokeless fuel can be burned in an open fire then that's the way forward there then. Otherwise upto £100 fine. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 22:09   Railway Sleepers.... - R.P.

You just ain't going to get caught though. Council Prosecutions are so unbelievably rubbish that even an England defence would get you off. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 22:49   Railway Sleepers.... - Crankcase

No law against bonfires in your own garden, as long as you're burning your own garden waste and don't cause a nuisance by doing it every day or something. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 21:08   Railway Sleepers.... - FotheringtonTomas

>> A house we nearly bought had an open fire .. burning wood and similar is liable >> to a £1000 fine! No it isn't (although there are some restrictions on what you can burn in a "smoke control zone"). Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 22:32   Railway Sleepers.... - Kevin

Make sure that you give the dog a breathing mask before he sets light to 'em. Creosote produces some rather noxious fumes unless it's burnt at a higher temp. than open air burning normally generates. Kevin... Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 18 Jun 10 22:57   Railway Sleepers.... - Ted

Smokeless zone here, has been for years. Now some are going back to coal and wood.......I like the smell in the evening. Nobody seems to bother them or care. Our railway has concrete sleepers. Thoroughly up to date round here ! Ted Reply to this message | Report message