jaxs
Elite Member
Dig a pond to capture spring water for irrigation and livestock. Place stones around posts like they do in areas where surface is solid rock.
around post like they do in areas where surface is solid rock.
around post like they do in areas where surface is solid rock.
ponytug
Super Member
I think that it is straightforward to color concrete, but measure the color carefully to have your posts match. There are lots of blend in colorants available. I would just do a surface layer, e.g. pour most of the concrete, then add some colorant, mix, and finish the pour. Just for example;
Concrete Colorants - Decorative Concrete - The Home Depot
Get free shipping on qualified Concrete Colorants products or Buy Online Pick Up in Store today in the Building Materials Department.
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All the best,
Peter
oosik
Super Star Member
All this talk about RR ties makes my old bones ache. Until you have used one - it certainly is not your treated 4x4 or 6x6. They are even heavier than these "new fangled" concrete ties.
My RR ties have a metal tag pounded into one end. It has a number embossed on the tag. This number means nothing to me.
My RR ties have a metal tag pounded into one end. It has a number embossed on the tag. This number means nothing to me.
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
Railroad Ties make me nervous. It could be a regional thing, and I can only comment on my experiences with them here in East Texas.
They are made from just about every species of wood, but mostly what is considered junk trees that are not good for anything else. The only requirement that the Mill has is the size of the logs when they buy them.
They are very common in landscaping, and usually used for some sort of retaining wall, or terracing, but you'll also see them as corner posts, or gate posts.
They start out strong, but they also rot out quickly. Since they are coated with tar of some kind, you cannot tell that they are rotting out because the bugs get into them and hollow them out. It's almost like magic, one day they look great, then you bump one with the mower, and it disintegrates with nothing being on the inside.
They become empty shells in just a decade. It's very rare to see them sitting on the ground for longer then that and not have massive decay on the insides. The Rail Road sets them on a bed of gravel so they never touch the dirt. The gravel allows the rain to drain away from them, so they last longer.
They are made from just about every species of wood, but mostly what is considered junk trees that are not good for anything else. The only requirement that the Mill has is the size of the logs when they buy them.
They are very common in landscaping, and usually used for some sort of retaining wall, or terracing, but you'll also see them as corner posts, or gate posts.
They start out strong, but they also rot out quickly. Since they are coated with tar of some kind, you cannot tell that they are rotting out because the bugs get into them and hollow them out. It's almost like magic, one day they look great, then you bump one with the mower, and it disintegrates with nothing being on the inside.
They become empty shells in just a decade. It's very rare to see them sitting on the ground for longer then that and not have massive decay on the insides. The Rail Road sets them on a bed of gravel so they never touch the dirt. The gravel allows the rain to drain away from them, so they last longer.
ponytug
Super Member
There are different grades. True railroad ties are soaked and coated in a creosote based tar. It is more than a little carcinogenic. A while back, creosote became restricted to commercial use only, so true railroad ties are, in theory at least, no longer for sale to homeowners. The local box stores here sell "railroad" ties, but they are not treated the same way as real railroad ties; no creosote for starters, and not completely tar encased. I suspect that is the case where you are as well, but I don't know that.
Regardless, for things like garden beds, if you are going to use real, or fake, railroad ties, I would put them on a gravel base, and I would line them on the inside with an impermeable layer and a drain material. Not only will they last longer, but it will reduce leaching from the treated wood. Personally, I prefer cedar, or redwood; I don't worry about what is leaching out of them.
Pressure treated 8x8x10's are my absolute limit. Beyond that, and all railroad ties are forks only in my book. I find it hard to imagine how tough the guys laying railways must have been in the old days. Even four guys to tie, all day, everyday must have made them tough as old oak. I'm a plush toy by comparison.
All the best,
Peter
Eagle1
Veteran Member
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I have a near unlimited supply of concrete railroad ties the RR threw next to the tracks after replacing them with wood many years ago. Seems they did not work well for trains pulling lead ore.
I use them for all kind of projects, they are about 500 lbs each and there is no way I'd move them by hand. I drag or push a couple with even the BX or put 3 on forks the LS.
Garden bed, water crossings, pond edge stabilizing, hold a dog kennel in place....
Pretty sure they will out last me and maybe my kids...
I use them for all kind of projects, they are about 500 lbs each and there is no way I'd move them by hand. I drag or push a couple with even the BX or put 3 on forks the LS.
Garden bed, water crossings, pond edge stabilizing, hold a dog kennel in place....
Pretty sure they will out last me and maybe my kids...
buckeyefarmer
Epic Contributor
they rot at ground level where there is air and water, underground they will be fine. plant them and forget about them.
oosik
Super Star Member
Eddie - if I had that sort of problem with ties - I would not waste time using them - for sure. I have three true ties in ground. Been there since 1982. Still rock solid and they still ooze black tar-like substance in the heat of the summer. And they smell - like a mix of kerosene and diesel fuel.
I see the railroad using two types of ties here. The tar soaked wood ties and, in select places, the concrete ties. Perhaps the concrete ties are an experiment.
I see the railroad using two types of ties here. The tar soaked wood ties and, in select places, the concrete ties. Perhaps the concrete ties are an experiment.