Railway Sleepers For Sale

If you are thinking about buying railway sleepers, then there are some very important things that you will need to know first before buying. To help ensure you get the best quality sleepers you can at the cheapest and best price.

Most people buy railway sleepers for gardening and landscape projects, but they are also very popular for use in building & furniture making. Sleeper furniture has really taken off in recent years, mainly because of its retro look. Used and reclaimed sleepers, whilst looking slightly old and tatty. Can make fantastic retro furniture that can really look good, especially if used to make garden furniture such as table and chairs.

What to look for when searching for railway sleepers for sale

Probably the most important thing for most people is price. These sleepers do not come cheap, but this doesn’t mean you can’t find yourself some fantastic deals. Popular auction websites such as eBay, list railway sleepers at extremely low starting prices. So depending on how many people are watching the auction you can pick yourself up a fantastic bargain if the time is right.

If you are looking to buy at the best cheap prices, then you can not beat buying online. But before you even start searching online, you need to think about what type of railway sleeper do you want to buy.

For starters, they are made in quite a few different types of material. There are lots of different types of wooden sleepers, there’s hardwoods such as oak, jarra, karri and beach and also there are softwoods such as pine. Railway sleepers are also usually sold in three grades in terms of quality. These three different grades usually being A, B and C, whilst some sellers might grade them at 1, 2 and 3.

They are sold new, used and reclaimed, but if you buy new expect to pay that little bit extra. You can also buy them untreated and treated, so if you want to use them straightaway without treating them yourself, then buying them treated may be the best option for you.

Whilst most railway sleepers are made from wood, you can also buy them made from concrete. But this option is not as popular due to the limited used of this type of sleeper. Wood gives you so many different options in the garden, building and home.

Used and Reclaimed Railway Sleepers For Sale

These will of seen years and years of hard use on the railway line and more often than not will stink of oil and diesel. To help preserve their lifespan most used and reclaimed sleepers will of been treated. The two most popular forms of treatment are tantalized, which help the wood fight off fungal attack as well as helping to stop insects attacking the wood. The second form of treatment is painting them with creosote. If you are buying treated railway sleepers, which have been treated with creosote, then this form of treatment is not really good for inside building use.

Creosote treated sleepers are not really suitable for furniture making use, such as a making a picnic table. This is because the food may come into contact with the treated wood making it a poison hazard.

How to find high quality railway sleepers for sale

Like we mentioned earlier, used and reclaimed sleepers are usually sold in 3 grade quality’s. Grade A or 1 is usually the best, with these being squarer, straighter with less cracks in them. Grade B or 2 are lower quality, and are more often older with more signs of wear on them. Such as cracking and bowing, they will also probably be showing the first signs of wood decay. The final quality grade C or 3, is the lowest quality, with them showing signs of cracking, bowing and sometimes severe wood decay.

Which quality you choose to buy, will depend on your budget and your project. Grade C or 3 railway sleepers are very popular for landscape gardeners, were they are trying to create that old fashioned, warm and retro look to the garden. Using them as center pieces in the garden is so popular and with the correct use of planting they can look absolutely fanatic.

Sizing of railway sleepers

The most popular size for most of them is 8.5 foot long by 10 inches wide by 6 inches deep. But if you plan on buying used and reclaimed, it is very likely that they may of already been cut down to different sizes. Sizes that are going to suit their last application. So before you do anything it would be a good idea to take measurements of your chosen project, before you even think about looking for railway sleepers for sale.

Whatever your chosen use, you can not argue they truly do look fantastic and will add character to that gardening, landscaping or building project.