Railway Sleepers

[Parm]

ive been asked to help build a mini retaining wall in a garden. There’s no load or force on it, just there to keep back about 300mm High soil back. It’s gonna to be made with sleepers stood on edge. All good so far

What’s the best way to nail them together ? I was thinking to drill long holes once stacked then drive through long bits of rebar

Is there a proper way to do this? Any other techniques to hold the sleepers and anchor to the ground?

Edit to correct height of soil being held back = 300mm

 

[gaz1]

300mm or cm?

if only 300mm either turn on side and drill through and fasten top one on by coach blots

or

turn on edge and just bolt through to ground if you want even a bar belted into the ground through the holes

 

[brightspark]

if the grounds firm drill through them and whack rebar through in to ground about 2 foot deep stagger the top and bottom sleeper so there not just sat parallel on top of each other

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

As above. Bedded mine on edge onto concrete in a small trench and banged rebar all the way through the bottom sleeper into the ground.
Then used 200mm lengths of rebar to locate the top sleeper. Blind holes so invisible from above. All the way through at 350mm if another layer on top.
Bang a few nails/ deck screws in from behind/ edges before butting next sleeper to help secure.

 

[Parm]

Ok good ideas, rebar it is then. Should I go thro the 400mm of sleeper? If so I’m gonba need a long auger bit, at least 400mm long and what diameter of rebar.

I don’t want to lift and manipulate the sleepers too much as the wall is 57m long !!!!

 

[8ob]

My landscape lads use hundreds of sleepers when track building, all they do is bed on drylene, drive a 75x75 pointed post in behind and wind in gurt great tech-screws with a cordless. There is so much crap embedded in second hand sleepers they have given up trying to drill them. Ok drilling new softwood sleepers but not the s/h seasoned , tarred proper jobs.

All support posts driven in about 2" below top of sleepers so you cant see them. The dust carts cant budge them

 

[Agrismith]

Knock 6-8in fence posts into the ground and cut them off flush with the ground screw the sleepers to the posts and together with timberlocks easy to take apart then rather conrete and really quick todo

 

[addjunkie]

If there new sleepers will still be damp, drilling with a battery drill is painfull, id use a brace and bit type bit if you can.
Id bed them in a shallow trench too

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Always used 12mm rebar.

If your only going 300mm high 300mm drill should suffice mate. All the way through one sleeper and 100mm into the lower.
Trench and concrete wil let you set them below ground level and pack concrete up the sides of the trench.
If not important visually banging them in from above is easiest and saves too much moving.


Always used a chuck in my 120v sds drill for drilling.

 

[atomant48]

Ours went into I-beams stood upright and slotted in one each side. Used a channel at the end of the row.

 

[Ton-up]

I do as 8ob says, a 2x2 wacked in behind, or a 8x2 buried in covering the joint and long plastic coated screws in diagonally.

 

[armalites]

My landscape lads use hundreds of sleepers when track building, all they do is bed on drylene, drive a 75x75 pointed post in behind and wind in gurt great tech-screws with a cordless. There is so much crap embedded in second hand sleepers they have given up trying to drill them. Ok drilling new softwood sleepers but not the s/h seasoned , tarred proper jobs.

All support posts driven in about 2" below top of sleepers so you cant see them. The dust carts cant budge them

Looks fantastic, just glad I wasn't paying the invoice but I guess in your neighbourhood someone with a house on a plot like that isn't short of a few quid

 

[8ob]

Looks fantastic, just glad I wasn't paying the invoice but I guess in your neighbourhood someone with a house on a plot like that isn't short of a few quid

Got a small team of lads on this sort of thing full time, have a peek if interested https://arbtalk.co.uk/forums/topic/100155-forest-track/ Some of it involves steel fabrication work which means getting Mick Dundee motivated https://arbtalk.co.uk/forums/topic/95083-culvert-repair/

Bob

 

[Stingray]

H-beams worked out good for Me!

 

[Parm]

Always used 12mm rebar.

If your only going 300mm high 300mm drill should suffice mate. All the way through one sleeper and 100mm into the lower.
Trench and concrete wil let you set them below ground level and pack concrete up the sides of the trench.
If not important visually banging them in from above is easiest and saves too much moving.


Always used a chuck in my 120v sds drill for drilling.

It’s the soil that’s 300mm high, sleepers will be stacked on edge to make a wall 400mm high. I’ve got a 12mm auger bit, 450mm long

I’m doing this the easy way by stacking two high then drilling all the way through. Bosh will n some rebar and job done. If I’m in the mood I’ll turn up some SS top hats to plug the holes. Jobs at my brothers house

Should I set the sleepers on a concrete mortar bed? To make levelling etc easier ?

 

[Parm]

View attachment 141028 View attachment 141029 View attachment 141030 View attachment 141031 View attachment 141032
H-beams worked out good for Me!

Hi Stingray, trying to replicate exactly what you have done in the first few pics. Have you used sleepers?

 

[Stingray]

Hi Stingray, trying to replicate exactly what you have done in the first few pics. Have you used sleepers?

Yes but they were new treated hardwood sleepers, the place I got them were about £16 a piece delivered, don’t buy the rubbish softwood ones from your garden centre, use same as I done or old railway sleepers grade A , also I nailed 600mm damp-proof plastic on the backside before I backfilled, hopefully outlast Me...

 

[TechnicAl]

I tried drilling through...the drill got stuck...couldnt get it back out so had to cut it off...made some brackets and joined from behind

 

[Parm]

Yes but they were new treated hardwood sleepers, the place I got them were about £16 a piece delivered, don’t buy the rubbish softwood ones from your garden centre, use same as I done or old railway sleepers grade A , also I nailed 600mm damp-proof plastic on the backside before I backfilled, hopefully outlast Me...

Brother let’s it’s what you done (showed him your pics) it’s exactly what he’s trying to achieve. Proper good heads up on the situation. I really like how you’ve used the channel, it’s right up my street. However his wife will need convincing. She’s an artist, she only sees design, doesn’t understand stand the practical implications of doing a job. She’s had a few quotes. Upwards of £10k !!!!

 

[Stingray]

Brother let’s it’s what you done (showed him your pics) it’s exactly what he’s trying to achieve. Proper good heads up on the situation. I really like how you’ve used the channel, it’s right up my street. However his wife will need convincing. She’s an artist, she only sees design, doesn’t understand stand the practical implications of doing a job. She’s had a few quotes. Upwards of £10k !!!!

How many meters you got to do, £16 x 2, I used two bags of postcrete per hole and the 5” RSJ was £8 a meter so it was easier than building blocks, I also bought a set of scissor shovels and crowbar to dig the holes and keep things neat