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?

Howarth Timber Pratt st Burnley

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?

dougcollins wrote: ↑

Mon May 29, 2023 10:32 pm

£5m worth is a lot of sleepers.

You opening a branch line?

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Lanlee in Colne or MK Building in Rosegrove.

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

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)

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......

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.

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!

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.

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….

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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..