Railway Sleepers – Ideal for Gardens and Landscaping

Railway sleepers are used all over the world, as a base for the railway tracks that have revolutionised industry. Before the railways, cotton and coal was transported by the canal system but the development of the railways really made canals redundant. When railway sleepers have done their service, they are increasingly being re-used in gardens by creative garden designers.

Railway sleepers can be made from a variety of materials, including wood, steel, plastic, rubber and concrete. Many sleepers are now made from waste and recycled, and continue to be used all over the globe. Stone sleepers were used at first, for the Liverpool and Manchester Railways for example. In these days, a pair of stone blocks were laid on the ground, with the rails fixed to these blocks. Often stone blocks were unsuitable on soft ground, and so timber sleepers tend to be used.

Using concrete became more widespread when the economy grew and high speed, heavy trains began roaring down the railway lines of the UK.

But in recent times railway sleepers have become popular for garden design and landscaping, in creating retaining walls or raised-bed gardens for example. They are an incredibly versatile item, and could be used for stepping stones, paving or steps. Initially, these were decommissioned sleepers from old railway lines, and the sleepers were unlikely to last a long time due to rot, but now garden designers will source new sleepers for landscaping use. Sleepers are incredibly handy for a gardener, and particularly useful in retaining soil when perhaps there was a change of level. Some people even choose railway sleepers as away of containing artificial grass and fake grass.

While sleepers are usually laid on gravel, but if you can’t provide this sleeper bed in your garden then it is worth thinking about how to preserve that timber. The lifespan of the railway sleeper will be effected by the type of wood it is made from and the preservation. If the timber is going to be in constant contact with moist ground then the lifespan will be reduced, particularly if they are cut down to size, as this can expose the untreated core.

When buying railway sleepers for landscaping use, try to find a dealer who offers a guarantee so you know what type of lifespan to expect.

Moving sleepers around is no picnic either, with hardwood sleepers weighing around 50kg each. It is not just a case of chucking them into place, and they’re not easy to get rid of. Softwood sleepers will be lighter and smaller in size, and so easier to manoeuvre. They do have a multitude of uses in the garden, and are an invaluable thing to have lying around when you need it.