Railway sleepers: what timber?

[FinesseChris]

Scrounged a few offcuts, big chunks of obviously well-seasoned wood.

Question: what is it? Some kind of pine?

And is it any use for boat bodging?

Chris

 

[sheeplove]

Greenheart I believe

 

[sarabande]

Watchout ! It's creosoted like mad, and probably contaminated with fecal matter, and will do very nasty things if you get a splinter.

 

[ValleyForge]

All sorts ! look at railwaysleepers.com - Pine, oak, exotics etc. Guess you'll need to cut a lot off though to get to boat friendly usable stuff.

 

[johnlilley]

Quite often Jarrah, an Australian hardwood, very heavy and durable, or Baltic pine, The Jarrah is a pale pink colour and very hard, Baltic pine is obviously softer but probably quite discoloured with preservative.
\John Lilley

 

[rich]

More useful for sitting the boat on when laying up next winter.

 

[tome]

Used to be able to buy old ones for a pound each, they were jarrah as I recall. A builder friend used them to make some very unusual features such as pillars etc, a really warm pink and quite unlike any other timber I've seen

I'm sure there were quite a few different timbers used over the years, resistance to rot was probably a big factor

 

[cliffordpope]

Concrete

 

[Superflid]

[ QUOTE ]
and probably contaminated with fecal matter, and will do very nasty things if you get a splinter.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hadn't thought of that before, but that's where it all goes from the train toilets....... /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[Guest]

Not anymore...holding tanks now. H&S Permanent Way gangs?

A lot of sleepers used to be Pitch pine, but I am going back a while.

 

[Peterduck]

Jarrah is a beautiful boatbuilding timber, straight grained, unlike many of our timbers. Most of the jarrah that I have seen is a deep blood-red, and it makes a wonderful furniture timber. The centreline, ribs and underwaterplanking of my 1917 ketch are of jarrah, and they are all in excellent condition.
Peter.

 

[Superflid]

[ QUOTE ]
Not anymore...holding tanks now. H&S Permanent Way gangs?



[/ QUOTE ]

S'pose it depends how old the sleepers are then.
Is there a shitemeter on the market for testing contamination? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Guest]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Not anymore...holding tanks now. H&S Permanent Way gangs?



[/ QUOTE ]

S'pose it depends how old the sleepers are then.
Is there a shitemeter on the market for testing contamination? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I would have thought that you would have one of those somewhere around??? /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

PS. If not........try the Mobo Forum......................

 

[Superflid]

Lol!

I've got no need for one, I know I'm full of it..... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[chrishelen]

They dont half burn good,

 

[Searush]

I always thought they were the same as telephone poles - Larch. And treated the same way - rupinised (creosote or similar forced in under pressure in sealed containers)

 

[fisherman]

I know someone who burned and scrubbed a sleeper with a blowtorch and wire brush and got a very nice looking 'antique' lintel.