What happens to old Railroad wooden crossbeams? Are they recyclable for anything else? Thanks?

Question

What happens to old Railroad wooden crossbeams? Are they recyclable for anything else? Thanks?

Answer 1

I've seen them used for decking, for pathways, borders, and suchlike in gardens. However, I wouldn't use genuine old ties (sleepers in UK) as they are soaked in nasty chemicals to preserve them which could potentially leach into your garden and kill off plant life. Not to mention oil and fuel leaks from passing trains - and any other stuff that falls from the train. And finally, the one that does it for me is back in the olden days trains used to dump toilet waste directly onto the tracks. - yes, human waste!

I believe some are used for burning in certain types of power station.

Answer 2

yes they are re-used

when a contractor buys them, they sort them out by grade.

the top grade ones can go back to railroad use in secondary or branch lines.

The next grade will go for landscape timbers or fencing.

They are so old and stable by the time they are taken out of railraod use it is safe to use them in yards and gardens, there is no danger. Grass and weeds grow right up to them and are not harmed.

The bottom grade ones are usually composted, around herer I dont see them being openly burned anymore, pretty strong smoke from them.  

Some people have tried grinding them up and mixing with resin to make new ties, it worked quite well but at this point I was told it was not cost effective.

It is possible they are being burned in incinerators for energy recovery, I hope so but I dont see it being done around here.

Answer 3

In some countries, the wooden crossbeams, properly called "sleepers" or "ties" have been replaced by more modern concrete ones.  Now the old sleepers aren't just tossed away, no they still have other uses.

For example, secondary tracks, industrial tracks, and other lines that do not see regular service will retain their wooden sleepers.  It all comes down to cost really.  If the track isn't used that often, or for  heavy trains, then there's no real point in converting the line.

So, I bet you're wondering now, what happens to those that get pulled up?  Some are reused by the railroads, often made into retaining walls, or even used to replace older sleepers on secondary lines, but the ones that just don't make the cut get shipped off the property.

Of those, most are sold to lumber companies who in turn sell them to the general public for use in flower beds, parking lots, and all manner of places.  Others go to the "big railyard in the sky".  I couldn't find a link to it, but there's a company I know of  near where I live (it's not the only one of the type) that grinds these ties up into a kind of sawdust.  This dust is then mixed with some solvents and heated, through which a good portion of the old creosote is reclaimed.  The waste is then turned into fuel for the plant's heating units, with nothing going to waste.  It's funny in a way, the old ties being used for fuel to make new ones.

Answer 4

I have some in my back yard as a border for a flower garden and a couple as a makeshift retaining wall. At my oldhouse we had some outlining the driveway. So yeah some of them get recycled.

Answer 5

>> What happens to old Railroad wooden crossbeams?

You see lot of old rail road tracks.  So they are often just left where they sit.

Good Luck...