O/T Wooden Sleepers

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Simps
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O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by Simps » Mon May 29, 2023 10:06 pm

Advice please, I’m after some sort of railway sleepers to go across my garden, about 5m worth.

Is there a timber merchants or similar around Burnley that would sell these made to measure? Or cut them to a certain size?

Tw@
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by Tw@ » Mon May 29, 2023 10:21 pm

Howarth Timber Pratt st Burnley

dougcollins
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by dougcollins » Mon May 29, 2023 10:32 pm

Simps wrote:
Mon May 29, 2023 10:06 pm
Advice please, I’m after some sort of railway sleepers to go across my garden, about 5m worth.

Is there a timber merchants or similar around Burnley that would sell these made to measure? Or cut them to a certain size?
£5m worth is a lot of sleepers.

You opening a branch line?
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Bosscat
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by Bosscat » Mon May 29, 2023 10:37 pm

dougcollins wrote:
Mon May 29, 2023 10:32 pm
£5m worth is a lot of sleepers.

You opening a branch line?
🤣🤣🤣

bfcjg
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by bfcjg » Mon May 29, 2023 10:40 pm

https://www.jewson.co.uk/search?text=Sleepers
Colne Branch nearest and will cut to length and deliver.

jsclaret
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by jsclaret » Mon May 29, 2023 10:41 pm

We used some sleepers as edging to gravel path and lawn and wish we hadn't.
They are extremely slippy in wet weather and I wouldn't recommend them.
A bit like walking or mountain biking over tree roots.
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by Oshkoshclaret » Tue May 30, 2023 1:00 am

They certainly are slippy. You can buy various anti slip plates for them but I stapled chicken wire to mine, and it works great.

enduroclaret
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by enduroclaret » Tue May 30, 2023 7:21 am

I’ve used reclaimed actual sleepers. Not the new soft wood ones that end up green and slippery. They are about 2.4 meters long. You can cut them with a hand saw in 5-10 minutes.
You can buy them off eBay…..but I’d say it’s better to go to a reclaimer’s yard and have a look. They’re old and have been replaced for a reason…..a lot are badly rotted.
But if you get some decent ones they have a bit of character and look good.

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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by fatboy47 » Tue May 30, 2023 8:01 am

Use them... I've used around a dozen of the old ones to create raised bedding areas around the garden.. Made of some or other imported Indian hardwood, can't remember the name, but they look great.

Your gardener may pull his face at having to hump them round mind...incredibly heavy.

bfcmatt
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by bfcmatt » Tue May 30, 2023 8:05 am

They have loads at the small DIY place upnear the tip, in different sizes, decent prices to.

mikeS
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by mikeS » Tue May 30, 2023 8:09 am

Lanlee in Colne or MK Building in Rosegrove.

tally
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by tally » Tue May 30, 2023 8:11 am

Original railway sleepers were covered in Creosote which makes them extremely slippery when wet.

BradTee93
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by BradTee93 » Tue May 30, 2023 8:17 am

We’ve got a couple different sizes at Berrys, but we’re based in Leyland.

200 x 100mm @ 2.4mtr
250 x 125mm @ 2.4mtr
200 x 100mm @ 2.4mtr (Oak Sleeper)

evensteadiereddie
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by evensteadiereddie » Tue May 30, 2023 8:31 am

Tsk, if its not people showing off about their classic cars, it's someone else showing off about having a garden...
Harumph, I bet he wears shoes and all......
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enduroclaret
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by enduroclaret » Tue May 30, 2023 9:09 am

tally wrote:
Tue May 30, 2023 8:11 am
Original railway sleepers were covered in Creosote which makes them extremely slippery when wet.
Possibly, but as the OP is taking about edging across his garden rather than steps, I’m not sure if being slippy will be an issue.
I’ve used them for edging and as a boarder…..they’ve been down for years and I honestly don’t know if they get slippy, because I’ve never walked on them.

Hipper
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by Hipper » Tue May 30, 2023 9:28 am

tally wrote:
Tue May 30, 2023 8:11 am
Original railway sleepers were covered in Creosote which makes them extremely slippery when wet.
The also got toilet flushings on them!
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Quickenthetempo
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by Quickenthetempo » Tue May 30, 2023 10:23 am

Simps wrote:
Mon May 29, 2023 10:06 pm
Advice please, I’m after some sort of railway sleepers to go across my garden, about 5m worth.

Is there a timber merchants or similar around Burnley that would sell these made to measure? Or cut them to a certain size?
If it's for raising flower beds etc.. Might be worth looking at 2nd hand scaffold boards instead.
Far easier to cut and manipulate in gardens. Just double, triple up to what heights you need. 8ft Railway sleepers are 3x heavy as a 8ft scaffold board.

Hardy access at Station Rd Padiham sell all their knackered boards to gardners.

Simps
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by Simps » Tue May 30, 2023 10:47 am

dougcollins wrote:
Mon May 29, 2023 10:32 pm
£5m worth is a lot of sleepers.

You opening a branch line?
I don’t recall putting a £ sign….
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Bosscat
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by Bosscat » Tue May 30, 2023 10:50 am

Simps wrote:
Tue May 30, 2023 10:47 am
I don’t recall putting a £ sign….
But it was a funny reply Simps you have to agree 😉

Morrisons have 1 mtre sleepers but they ain't cheap
Last edited by Bosscat on Tue May 30, 2023 10:52 am, edited 1 time in total.

Simps
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by Simps » Tue May 30, 2023 10:52 am

enduroclaret wrote:
Tue May 30, 2023 9:09 am
Possibly, but as the OP is taking about edging across his garden rather than steps, I’m not sure if being slippy will be an issue.
I’ve used them for edging and as a boarder…..they’ve been down for years and I honestly don’t know if they get slippy, because I’ve never walked on them.

We’ve done raised beds around the edges, and the the back third of lawn Iv cut away and turned over as it was just boggy and clay like, so we’re sinking something like sleepers in, at ground level, to separate the lawn from the back third which is going to be gravel.

Three bits about 1.5-2 metres each should be fine

Fretters
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by Fretters » Tue May 30, 2023 11:17 am

Simps wrote:
Mon May 29, 2023 10:06 pm
Advice please, I’m after some sort of railway sleepers to go across my garden, about 5m worth.

Is there a timber merchants or similar around Burnley that would sell these made to measure? Or cut them to a certain size?
If you're looking for anything to finish/protect them with, I co-own https://littlefairs.shop and will do a discount for a fellow claret.

dougcollins
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by dougcollins » Tue May 30, 2023 4:29 pm

I used them in a vertical plane to hold back land on a terrace, and they were great for that - but I can see the issue with walking on them. They were definitely coated with a tar/creosote type waterproofing.

Lowbankclaret
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by Lowbankclaret » Tue May 30, 2023 6:21 pm

Cheapest place around is Shuttleworth hall timber yard, just off junction 8 of the M65. He will cut stuff to length. Last ones I bought were £25 each. He is CASH only.

ColneMonkey
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by ColneMonkey » Wed May 31, 2023 7:31 am

I bought mine from Airedale Tree Surgeons in Steeton. Might be too far away if you live in Burnley but worth asking. They were by far the cheapest and offer a delivery service.

No website, but they have a fb page and phone number if you google the name.

dougcollins
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Re: O/T Wooden Sleepers

Post by dougcollins » Wed May 31, 2023 7:05 pm

ColneMonkey wrote:
Wed May 31, 2023 7:31 am
I bought mine from Airedale Tree Surgeons in Steeton. Might be too far away if you live in Burnley but worth asking. They were by far the cheapest and offer a delivery service.

No website, but they have a fb page and phone number if you google the name.
I got mine from the guy in Silsden, but it looks like he probably died as his yard is now a 40 house estate..

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