New Tropical Hardwood railway sleepers

Overview

Grade:  New tropical hardwood railway sleepers, that are seconds or slightly imperfect. Extremely durable industrial timbers that are mainly square cut, with occasional rounded or waney edges, cracks or imperfections. They are normally up to 2-3 years old, and still in the process of seasoning or drying out. 
Colour: Various shades of light to medium reddy brown & silver grey on the outside depending on sunlight & location of the railway sleepers, with various stunning shades of red, pink or yellow on the inside, when cut or planed. See pictures above for examples of different shades and colours.
Weight: Can be very heavy to lift. These 2.6m x 250mm x 135mm size railway sleepers weigh about 110-120 kilos. Bear this in mind when you are planning your project. How do I plan to carry the new railway sleepers into position? (e.g. into the back of a garden). Consider using a trolley, wheelbarrow or similar. At the very least you'll need two very, very strong people. How to Lift Railway Sleepers. 
Treatment: These railway sleepers were intended to be installed on the British railways without any form of treatment, and expected to last for more than 50 years, being such a uniquely dense & tight grained timber. They are unbeatable for long term projects.
Description: These superb untreated tropical hardwood railway sleepers were destined for the railways, but were unused on the track for a variety of reasons. As such they are being sold as 'slightly imperfect' or 'seconds' because the pre-drilling was inaccurate, or the overall size a few mm out, or maybe a fractional crack that was outside of Network Rail's strict parameters, or slightly bowed. They are mainly square edged & cut in the last couple of years or so. As they season or dry out they may slightly shrink by a few mm or so. This is naturally dependent on temperature & humidity and can naturally cause the timber to develop thin cracks. These tropical hardwood railway sleepers can have knots, blemishes, or insect holes and can be slightly bowed or warped along the length. 
Cutting: These are very hard railway sleepers. You'll need a circular saw / chainsaw / powered saw to cut these timbers. Start off with a new or sharpened blade, and be prepared to re-sharpen. As with any project it makes sense to try and limit the amount of cuts you need to do. Try and plan a design around the size available. For more practical ideas on cutting try Railway Sleeper Cutting.
Attaching / Fixing: Timberlok Screws will not screw through these new tropical hardwood railway sleepers without a pilot hole, even if the drill is powerful, so we recommend first pre-drilling the railway sleepers with a 6mm pilot hole, otherwise the screws may get stuck or snap. Drill into the railway sleeper about a cm at a time, and then withdraw the wood drill, so as to clear the wood shavings from the hole, and then drill a bit further.  If you don't do this, the drill may overheat, smoke, and eventually bend, snap or go blunt. Railway Sleeper Fixings.
Sizes: IMPORTANT. All sizes are approximate. Historically, railway sleepers never had to be exact in length or width for their purpose on the railwaytrack, and so the sawmills were fairly ‘give or take’ in the timbers they produced. That means that although these railway sleepers are described as approximately 2600mm in length, or 250mm in width, or 135mm in depth, they may in fact be slightly longer or shorter, and likewise with some variations in width and thickness. 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, or think of using a different size or type of railway sleeper.

Our Comment
These are probably the most durable railway sleepers in the world, with an astonishing life-span, and a massive opportunity for those who are thinking in the long term. These unused tropical hardwood railway sleepers are 'slightly imperfect' or 'seconds'  and are suitable for all outside landscaping projects including steps, walls, raised beds, decking, ponds, river banks etc.. as well as internal furniture, lintels, woodturning etc.. Indeed, any project where you want extremely long lasting railway sleepers without any chemical treatment. They are a serious weight, so plan for strong help and wheels etc..! These tight-grained tropical hardwoods are beautiful if you cut or plane them, exposing various gorgeous shades of pink, red or yellow. Alternatively you can just enjoy the natural years of silver grey weathering. These tropical hardwood railway sleepers were originally imported into the UK for Network Rail, but did not meet their stringent criteria, or were incorrectly pre-drilled. They originate from approved, responsibly managed forests ensuring healthy and resilient timber for the future, and conserving the well-being of workers, the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the maintenance of the environment.   

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!!

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Extra Info

EXTRA INFORMATION

WHAT DELIVERY OPTIONS DO I HAVE?
You have two options, depending on which delivery option you choose at the checkout stage online, or when you telephone the office.

1) STANDARD DELIVERY - CUSTOMER TO OFFLOAD RAILWAY SLEEPERS
This is normally a quicker & cheaper means of delivery that generally covers 100% of the UK, providing you have a forklift or sufficient strong people to offload your railway sleepers. 
* DELIVERY TIMESCALE: You can choose any delivery day you want in advance within 2- 4 working days, Monday - Friday. Delivery will be between 9am & 5pm. You can choose, for a surcharge, a Saturday delivery.
* YOU are responsible for offloading the railway sleepers from the vehicle. The vehicle does NOT have a crane offload. If you do not have a forklift, you MUST have at least 2 or more strong people to manually offload. These timbers are too heavy for one person. The driver is NOT able to help you offload or carry materials into your house or garden. One exception! If the railway sleepers are 1.2m or less in length, the lorry driver CAN place the railway sleepers onto the pavement or road using the lorry tail lift and hand pallet truck.
* ACCESS: You must ensure that there is sufficient space for the lorry to access your road and property, and that there is sufficient area for you to safely offload. The vehicle is normally a rigid lorry which is about 10 metres long and about 2.6m wide (Imagine a full size bin lorry) It is crucial to tell us, when we contact you to arrange delivery, whether there are any delivery problems - e.g. a narrow road, cul de sac, cars parked in front of the property etc... An unsuccessful delivery will incur a further charge, often equal to the original haulage cost.

2) PREMIUM DELIVERY - THE RAILWAY SLEEPERS WILL BE OFFLOADED FOR YOU
This delivery charge is normally more expensive than the Standard delivery, but is essential if you order some heavy railway sleepers, and you haven't got a forklift, or sufficient strong people to help you offload. Having your railway sleepers placed on your drive is a perfect way of protecting your back and keeping your friends happy!
* DELIVERY TIMESCALE is generally within 1- 2 weeks, Monday - Friday, and between 8am & 6pm. Unfortunately you can't normally choose your own delivery day in advance, as the haulier will need to efficiently piece together a set of deliveries, according to which part of the UK they are driving to. Please let us know in advance if there are any delivery days you can't make. We will normally confirm the exact date a few days before.
* ACCESS: You must ensure that there is sufficient space for the lorry to access your road and property, and that there is enough area for the lorry to be safely offloaded. The vehicle is normally a rigid lorry which is about 10 metres long and about 2.6m wide (Imagine a full size bin lorry) It is crucial to tell us, when we contact you to arrange delivery, whether there are any access problems - e.g. a narrow road, cul de sac, cars parked in front of the property etc... An unsuccessful delivery will incur a further charge, often equal to the original haulage cost.

IS THERE A MINIMUM ORDER OF RAILWAY SLEEPERS?
No. It makes no difference. The cost to you is the same whether we deliver 1 railway sleeper or 10 railway sleepers... e.g. if the delivery cost to somewhere in the UK for 20 railway sleepers was for example £99 + Vat, then the delivery for 1 railway sleeper would cost the same. That's because our hauliers charge us according to how much lorry space the order takes up, so whether there is 1 railway sleeper on a pallet, or 20 railway sleepers on it, it makes no difference!

HOW DO WE WORK OUT THE DELIVERY COST?
The delivery charge depends on what type of railway sleeper you choose and where you live. If you go online and place the number of railway sleepers you are interested in into the shopping basket, and input your postcode, the website will calculate the delivery cost according to the number and length of the railway sleepers. If you play around with different lengths of railway sleepers, you will discover that 1.2m ones are the cheapest to have delivered, followed then by any sleeper up to 2.4m in length, and then finally the longer 2.6m, 3m and 3.6m ones. It's all about what space the railway sleepers take up on a lorry, and what the haulage companies then charge us.  Lots of different variables! If you order online, the delivery cost will be worked out automatically by a computer brain. If you order by telephone, the delivery cost will be calculated by a mere human being, who will chat with you whilst working it all out!

CLICK HERE for more answers to DELIVERY QUESTIONS