Joining railway sleepers

bob skunkhouse

Hi,

I'm using 2400x200x100 treated softwood dark pine "railway sleepers" as garden edging and I've a few questions regarding the project.

1) Do I need to dig a trench and set the sleepers on concrete in this trench? The lawn is flat so I was thinking of just setting them on the existing lawn and driving countersunk 'rebar' dowels through them and into the ground to stabilize them with a bit of packing here and there where needed.
2)Do I need to provide support to the back of the sleepers to stop them from rolling? if I can use the dowels then i'm thinking no need to support the back.
3)Whats the best way to join the sleepers end to end. I was thinking of using a lap joint or scarf joint, but thinking the former is easier as the cutting would be done with hand saw and circular saw.

Cheers.

jack of all

My thoughts- if you just set the sleepers on the lawn they will tend to settle or "migrate" over time and weeds will tend to grow in any gaps that emerge. Best way would be to treat them as you would a concrete kerb and bed them in some lean mix concrete, haunching the back with same. It would be a good idea to drive in some rebar rods at the back of each sleeper, drive in a nail and clench this back, to secure the sleepers. Where sleepers meet you could lap them but there's a good bit of work involved if you have a lot of them and you'll lose 100- 150mm at each joint. You could just butt joint them and reinforce the back of the joint with a ply plate or galvanized steel plate nailed on (wall plate straps could be cut down and used either). By avoiding any actual cutting I imagine you'd also prolong the life of the timber.

paddy147

Rebar is not needed.

Make sure there is no gas pipe,mains water pipe or underground utilities in the areas you are installing the sleepers and raised beds.



A few Pressure Trested 3 x 2 inch stakes hammered in behind the sleepers to hold them in place.
Stakes can be cut/made from a 12 foot length of 3 x 3 from a Builders Providers..around 7 euro for a length

Then use some 100-110mm deck screws and screw through the stakes into the backs of the sleepers.

For butting/joining to sleepers together...(end to end) simpley cut 2 pieces of PT 3 x 2 and brace together the backs of the sleepers.
Again use some 100-110mm deck screws and screw through the backs of the braces into the sleepers.


Simples.:)

scwazrh

Be very careful when hammering rebar rods into the ground behind sleepers that there is no drainage pipes or cables in the area.While the pipes should be deep down its not uncommon for pipes at the back of houses in newish housing estates to be only 200-300mm down.

bob skunkhouse

Yea, I'd thought about the services all right, but they're all well away from the area. Just the auld geothermal collector pipes but they'll be grand (joke).

I've about 50mtrs to lay so the concreting might be a bit labour intensive for what i'm looking for.
I was thinking that the lap joint might look nicer but I guess it's all preference really. More than likely butt them together and nail plate them and stake in behind them.

thanks anyways.....
Bob.