Sleeper – Treatment

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

I am building a 5″ ground level train track and will be using roofing batten wood as the sleepers. I can’t get hold of good old fashioned creosote and modern treatments are very expensive.

I am thinking of packing the sleepers into an open topped 25 litre can, holding them down with some sort of weight and then submerging them in the “treatment”

What home brew treatments have others found successful ?

[JourneymanParticipant @journeyman]

Well creosote is still available although it’s use is regulated. Creosote Sales sell the stuff but seemingly in fairly large quantities, may be worth a call. One of the exceptions to creosote use is for railway sleepers so who knows yours may be an acceptable use. Most of the roofing batten sold these days comes pre-treated in fancy colours blue pink yellow probably some form of tanalising which is copper based so your sleepers may not need much extra treatment.

John

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Mmmm … It sounds like you are re-inventing the Tanalising process

MichaelG.

.

Oops … crossed with John’s  post

See: https://tate-fencing.co.uk/about/tanalising-process/

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Try farm suppliers thats where I get mine from in 25 litre drums.

[densleighParticipant @densleigh]

Hi,   We use an old dustbin  with waste oil and a drop of diesel added. Left to soak for a few weeks.  Most have lasted over 25yrs.  Track bed is crushed lime stone (not ‘Crusher run’ too much dust and fines) so is relatively free draining. Even under trees where lots of debris falls the sleepers have lasted a very long time.

No need in our case to weigh them down in the oil – we just turn them end to end (they go in verically)

Our track is 9 1/4 and sleepres are 3×2 ish – usually second hand timber un-treated.

So long as you treat the cut ends – as tanalising only seems to penetrate a few mm’s.

Biggest benefit has been keeping the track and sleepers off the soil / weeds etc.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

There are various grades on tanalising. It involves a process of vacuum/pressure cycling, and the longer the process takes, the longer the timber lasts, but of course it coats more. It is not just soaking the wood in fluid

[Author]

Posts