New PLANED & BEVEL EDGED British Pine Eco Friendly railway sleepers

Overview

Grade: New UK softwood railway sleeper that is planed all round (PAR) with bevelled edges. Generally square cut and straight.
Colour: Light natural golden pine colour, that bleaches silver grey in the sun after 6 months or so as they season and dry out. This natural cycle of seasoning can take 4 - 12 months, depending on the amount of sunlight & the location of the railway sleepers. If you fancy a different bolder colour, there is always the easy option of staining these railway sleepers with a multitude of colours that can be applied by brush, and are available in most DIY stores.
Weight: The lightest of all our railway sleepers, and considerably easier to lift than the hardwood railway sleepers. (Approx 30-35 kilos for a 2.4m x 200mm x 100mm length). Always bear this in mind when you are ordering a particular size of railway sleeper. How do I plan to carry the railway sleepers into position? (e.g. the back of a garden). You'll normally need at least two willing people, with the possibility of incentives to sweeten the lifting process. How to Lift Railway Sleepers
Treatment: Eco-friendly Tanalith treatment (Non-creosote treated). A good choice for domestic landscaping, raised beds, steps, retaining walls, growing vegetables, children's play areas, schools, public areas or places where people may sit on the railway sleepers or come into skin contact with them. If you cut any of the railway sleepers you will need to treat the cut end with a wood preservative (SEE HERE). See further information on EXTRA INFO tab above.
Description: These planed all round (PAR) and bevel edged new British eco friendly railway sleepers from approved well managed forests are generally square edged, straighter and lighter than used railway sleepers, and so easy to stack, cut & drill. See pictures above. New planed softwood railway sleepers are sometimes described as being 'green' timber because they have been freshly cut in the last 6 months, and are not kiln dried, air dried or seasoned. They may naturally have splits, knots, blemishes or waney edges. They are stored outside so they may sometimes be wet. If they are not firmly screwed to each other or other timber they may start to move or bow as they season and fully dry out. 
Cutting: Fairly easy. The easiest of all our railway sleepers to cut. You can use a circular saw, chainsaw or even a handsaw to cut them. As with any project, it makes sense to try and limit the amount of cuts you need to do. Try and plan a design that fits with the size of our sleepers! As mentioned above, if you cut any of the railway sleepers you will need to treat the cut ends with a wood preservative (available in any DIY shop) See Railway Sleeper Cutting.
Attaching / Fixing: Timberlok will probably screw through these railway sleepers without a pilot hole, so long as the drill is reasonably powerful. So no need to pre-drill, and connecting these sleepers together should be pretty quick and straightforward. See Fixing railway sleepers together.
Sizes: IMPORTANT. All planed railway sleeper sizes are approximate. That means that although it may be described as approximately 2400mm x 200mm x 100mm it will in fact be slightly less than this, (potentially  minus 5mm on all dimensions) as all timber faces have been reduced in size by the planing. As it happens, most landscaping projects have an element of flexibility or tolerance in them and can cope with this. If your project needs exact accuracy in length, width or depth, then you may need to cut the railway sleeper to your precise specifications yourself.

Our Comment
These planed all round (PAR) & bevel edged eco friendly railway sleepers are a super smooth option for your landscaping project.  Perfect for those wanting a crisp, clean & architectural appearance with the option of staining or changing colour. Great for gardening, as they are very simple to stack and construct with, not to mention lifting, drilling and cutting. Can look very smart and stylish with less risk of splinters for young hands. Popular for steps, walls, raised beds, decking, ponds, furniture & areas where creosote treatment is unsuitable. Just remember to treat any railway sleeper bare ends if you do any cutting! See End Seal Protection

PROJECT INSPIRATION! 
You may know exactly what you are going to build with your railway sleepers. The great wall of China. The Taj Mahal. A perfect plan written in stone after hours of sleepless nights and youtube visits. However you may be more uncertain and in need of moral and practical support, especially if your nearest and dearest is sowing seeds of doubt, as they question your undeniable abilities to landscape the garden. In this case you need inspiration. A boost to your self esteem that will replace uncertainty with optimism. A visit to our projects section! Thousands of projects and photos that will fill you with confidence and excitement, and cement the guaranteed adoration of your once doubting loved one as you triumphantly complete your railway sleeper masterpiece. VISIT NOW!!   

EXTRA TREATMENT INFORMATION
TANALITH PRESSURE TREATMENT-THE FACTS

Our new Planed & Bevelled eco friendly treated softwood railway sleepers have been treated with Tanalith, a much more environmentally friendly, 'greener' alternative to creosote, and is suitable for many kinds of landscaping. It is a water based preservative treatment that helps protect against decay and fungal and insect attack.
~ The railway sleepers are treated using vacuum & pressure impregnation. 
~ When impregnated into the railway sleepers the chemical components become fixed within the wood structure and are leach resistant.
~ Usually specified for general construction and landscaping
~ Can be used in many residential, commercial and industrial applications
~ Easily painted or stained

It is so far the most environmentally friendly form of pressure treatment available and has replaced the original CCA treatment. It does not contain arsenic or chromium and have a very low potential for human toxicity. An eco treatment will not leak out in the summer, and is particularly suitable for schools, play areas, children, animals, growing food and indoors, where creosote is unsuitable.

For more technical information please have a look at the Tanalith website or contact the technical guys at Tanalith.
http://www.arxada.com/en/wood-protection/eu/products/tanalith-family/tanalith-e

HOW LONG DOES IT LAST?
NO GUARANTEE!
Believe it or not, the treatment manufacturers (and hence us!) offer no guarantee as to the durability of the treatment and the longevity of the railway sleepers. They argue that because: 
a) timber is used and constructed in so many different applications and settings (above ground, under ground, in water etc...), and because
b) timber naturally splits and moves after treatment, which can expose untreated wood... and because
c) customers cut and drill into the treatment on the timber, leaving bare wood...
- they cannot guarantee or predict how long the railway sleepers will last and how long the treatment will be effective.
To add to that, the sawmill states: We treat the railway sleepers to the Use Class 4 cycle, with a 10-15 year ‘desired service life’. As we don’t kiln dry the timber before treatment and we cannot control the ground conditions on site, we cannot guarantee that performance.

SITTING ON THE FENCE
In reality, like many companies, treatment companies and sawmills are frightened about people making claims against them, and so they choose to offer no guarantee, rather than risk someone wanting their railway sleepers to be replaced after 10 years, if it starts to rot.

Recently we were told of an old traditional timber company that had once rashly offered a lifetime guarantee on their oak fencing. About a year ago an 80 year old lady came into their office brandishing a yellow discoloured receipt from 1959, and stating that several of her fence posts were now rotten! All credit to them, they went out and replaced them!    
And the moral is... be careful what you promise! 

CONCLUSION
Although we all know that pressure treated railway sleepers will last considerably longer than 2 days (!) we are unable to say or guarantee how long it will last. Sorry. It's all very unsatisfactory, but it's the way of the world !

VOTE OF CONFIDENCE!
Please help us spread the word! If you've found our website helpful or inspiring please leave feedback or  'Like us' on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.  A simple way of letting people know  "This is a really  useful website!"  Thanks
             

Extra Info