Recycled Railway Track

[silentC]

This is a cross-post from the renovation forum, in case anyone here knows:

Does anyone know if it's possible to get hold of old railway track and if so where you would get it from? I'm thinking of using it as posts in a retaining wall.

[RETIRED]

You must be able to buy it somewhere because a bloke on the New Inventors was using it .

Try ringing the Railways maintenance side of things.

[Big Shed]

Miles of it laying rusting alongside the Bendigo to Melbourne new "fast train" track:rolleyes:

[silentC]

a bloke on the New Inventors was using it
That's where I got the idea, after watching that last night.

Unfortunately, I've rung Sims metal, who I think get most of it, and they don't sell to the public. They suggested I try a smaller recycling yard. Not much help there.

I might have a go at contacting the railways though, you never know.

[fenderbelly]

Silent have you thought of using universal beams i H section as people used to refer to it. If you use universal beam you can just drop sleepers straight into it.

Should be freely available.


Cheers Fred

[silentC]

Yes I got a price on a H channel, which is similar to a universal beam in shape but you can get it in smaller sizes. It's about $700 for a 12m length. However by the time I bought enough for all the posts that I would need (1200mm spacing over about 70 metres - about 58 posts varying in length from 800mm down to 400mm so 3 lengths) I would have spent more than it would cost to buy blocks for the same length wall, and that's before I bought the sleepers.

So it's looking like my cheapest option, unless I can get recycled steel of some sort very cheap, is to go with sleepers and timber posts, followed by blocks, and then steel posts and sleepers as the most expensive.

This landscaping business ain't cheap...

[46150]

Silent,try Stock and station agents.They used to sell it to cockeys for fence and strainer posts..............AL

[Steve Fryar]

I shouldn't be saying this but there is hundreds of miles of the stuff around SA.Just don't start a fire getting it and...could I have the sleepers under them,lol.

[ian]

This is a cross-post from the renovation forum, in case anyone here knows:

Does anyone know if it's possible to get hold of old railway track and if so where you would get it from? I'm thinking of using it as posts in a retaining wall.Silent

there's miles of the stuff lying arround rusting in convient 60 foot lengths between Bomballa and Michelago, and between Batlow and Gundagai, all you need is a couple of fetler spanners, a pick and a crane truck — just leave the stuff near Cooma where it is as the local historical train group occasionally runs a train along about 10km of the abandoned track

However, while "free" — provided the wallopers don't catch you nicking it — it's not really that efficient as a post and terribly diffficult to "engineer" with if your retaining wall is a serious one that requires certification



ian

[silentC]

The wall is only two sleepers high. Bombala is only about 40 minutes from here but I don't think I've got the motivation to give it a go at the moment, too hot. :)

[.RC.]

Railway line if available will be sold per tonne of weight and it will be above $300/tonne how much above I do not know...

It also comes in various sizes, most common would be 40lb and 60lb, but it comes in a lot heavier grades especially where coal trains/iron ore trains run...

[Geoff Dean]

SC, just checked price in Wodonga, on 100mm I beam- $46.20/m.

That makes a 12m length $554.40.

Do you have anywhere else to buy cos $700 ($58.33/m) seems a bit excessive? :D

[silentC]

Does that include GST?

It's still a bit pricey when I can get concrete blocks to do the whole job for about $1,500. I'd be looking at $1,500 just for the steel and then another $600 or so for the sleepers.

I knew steel would be the expensive way to go if I bought it new. I just thought that railway track would be cheaper being recycled, but with the price of scrap metal these days, I guess that was pie in the sky.

[Geoff Dean]

Does that include GST?

Yes. $42 ex

[ian]

The wall is only two sleepers high. Bombala is only about 40 minutes from here but I don't think I've got the motivation to give it a go at the moment, too hot. :)Silent

at that height I'd use star pickets cut in half or even quarters to anchor the bottom one to the ground and two bridge spikes to tie the top one to the one below


ian

[silentC]

I can see where you're coming from but I was planning to build this wall with two sleepers on edge, not laying flat. Uses 1/4 the number of sleepers (given a 200x50 sleeper).

As it happens, we've decided we might do it in bush rock instead.

[Geoff Dean]

So now all you have to do is head bush and catch some rocks.:D

[ian]

I can see where you're coming from but I was planning to build this wall with two sleepers on edge, not laying flat. Uses 1/4 the number of sleepers (given a 200x50 sleeper).even with two on edge I'd still be inclined to anchor them to 2 x 1/2 (length) star pickets driven into the ground behind the line of the wall.


ian

[Lignin]

I used three treated pine sleepers on edge, drilled through and knocked 5/8" reinforcing rod into the ground beneath in three places.No movement after seven years:2tsup::2tsup:

[weisyboy]

just use sleepers as posts. :2tsup:

[Chris Parks]

The weight of the stuff is unbelievable. I have a short length, about a metre and it is beyond me to pick it up. I found it beside the railway line when I was fighting a fire so threw it in the truck and use it as blacksmithing anvil. It doesn't get moved unless absolutely necessary.

[rsser]

A bit after the fact, but garden/landscape suppliers should have them.

Also consider new redgum sleepers - though I've found them to be pretty green and so prone to warping.