Wooden railway ties were popular design elements in the past because of their rustic surface and robust properties. It is now known that the wood preservatives used are dangerous to health and the environment. The legal situation was therefore adjusted in the 1990s.

Railway sleepers are a beautiful design element, which unfortunately is often highly harmful to the environment

Table of Contents

Show all
  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Purchase and Usage Instructions
  3. disposal and costs
  4. material variants
  5. Railway sleepers in the garden
  6. frequently asked Questions

    7. the essentials in brief

    • Since 1991, the law has banned the use of old railway sleepers in gardens or in landscaping. They have been treated with creosote to protect them, which is harmful to health and the environment.
    • Sale or redistribution for free is prohibited. Disposal is possible at recycling centers or specialized companies.
    • Untreated garden sleepers made of oak or beech are suitable for furniture construction or use in gardens. They should be pretreated with linseed oil.

    Information on the purchase and use of railway sleepers

    Railway sleepers have a romantic, rustic look and are beautifully robust

    Old railway sleepers have long been a popular outdoor design element because of their rustic appearance. Because of their durability, they were used as flooring, for fencing, or for decoration. However, there are strict regulations regarding the use and sale of used wooden railway sleepers. If you want to make use of the rustic look as a design element in the garden, you should buy new garden sleepers.

    legal position

    Since 1991, the further use and sale of railway sleepers to private individuals has been subject to a legal restriction. This has been specified in the Chemicals Prohibition Ordinance (§1 and Section 17 of the Annex) since 2002 and states that old sleepers treated with Cabonileum or a copper-chromium-arsenic compound may no longer be used in gardening and landscaping. The reason for this are substances that are hazardous to health and the environment, which the wooden beams emit.

    Ban on the use of old sleepers:

    • indoors, in agriculture and in gardens
    • on playgrounds, for furniture or toys
    • in the environment of farm animals and plants or in the food sector

    Why can you buy railway sleepers?

    Wooden sleepers are used during renovation and maintenance work. To this day, it is still possible to buy old railway sleepers from Deutsche Bahn. They are offered or given away in internet auctions out of ignorance about the danger. In principle, the sale or delivery of used old sleepers is not permitted. Anyone who puts these materials on the market is committing a criminal offence. If you have bought old wooden sleepers used, contact the seller and make him aware of the applicable legal situation.

    If you want to buy used railway sleepers, you should only choose untreated wood.

    What to consider when disposing

    Due to further residues of pesticides, waste oil, soot and exhaust gases, the material is treated as hazardous waste. It is not permitted as a fuel in private small firing systems (§ 3 No. 6 of the 1st BImSchV). Therefore, you must not burn old railway sleepers in your own wood-burning stove or on an open campfire. Contact for disposal is the communal or city waste service.

    Dispose of railway sleepers

    As a rule, recycling centers accept small quantities of old sleepers impregnated with tar oil free of charge. If you want to dispose of larger quantities, costs may be incurred. These depend on the region and the weight. Special waste companies offer the possibility of disposal via containers. With this variant you can book different price models:

    • lump sum: complete disposal including delivery and collection of the container at a fixed price
    • weight accounting: Items such as transport, rental period and waste weight are listed individually

    For smaller quantities, billing by weight is the cheaper option if you cannot take the hazardous waste to a treatment facility within the meaning of the Waste Wood Ordinance. The flat-rate calculation is worthwhile for waste quantities that significantly exceed 20 tons.

    background

    Carbolineum as a waterproofing agent

    Carbolineum is an oily liquid that is insoluble in water and flammable. The brown-red color and the tar-like scent are typical. It is made from coal tar and has both anti-fouling and disinfectant properties. Due to these effects, the agent was and is used to impregnate posts, masts and railway sleepers. Wood that is in permanent contact with the ground is thus permanently protected from weathering and pest infestation.

    Railway sleepers made of wood or concrete?

    Railway sleepers can also be bought untreated

    If you want to use railway sleepers as a rustic design element in your own garden, you should use untreated wood. Numerous sawmills now offer sleepers made of oak that have not been impregnated with any dangerous substances. Alternative materials such as plastic or concrete with a wood look have other advantages.

    wood plastic concrete rubber
    Price per piece 60-100 euros not previously available on the market 10-20 euros 25 euros
    weather resistant no Yes Yes Yes
    easy-care no Yes Yes Yes
    non-slip no mediocre Yes Yes
    properties natural material elastic, light and sound-absorbing deceptively similar wood look from recycled car tires

    Concrete as an alternative

    If you are unable to buy untreated wooden sleepers, you can use imitation wood. Bauhaus offers EHL railway sleepers at a unit price of around 20 euros. These 90 centimeter long concrete slabs with a wood look are weatherproof and non-slip. At Obi there are also cheap garden sleepers made of concrete to buy. Depending on the model, the price is around ten to 20 euros. The concrete elements are between 60 and 90 centimeters long and structured on all sides, creating a deceptively real wood look.

    Railway sleepers in the garden design

    Railway sleepers can be used as bed borders, fences or stepping stones

    The fibrous structure of the wood, which was created by weathering, gives it a rugged and rustic look. The wood has been sun tanned over the years and shows characteristic cracks, nicks and chips. This is exactly why old sleepers are so popular in garden design. If you want to use railway sleepers outdoors, you should use untreated wood from the hardware store. Any material that has not been impregnated with the toxic creosote is permitted in the garden.

    Inspiration for decoration and

    • playground: edging for sandpits or flooring for boules courts
    • border: for raised beds or fences at property lines
    • utility items: as a surface for tables or for insect hotels
    • design elements: for benches, flower boxes (€16.99) and fireplaces

    pretreatment

    Untreated railway sleepers should be impregnated with a natural wood preservative before installation. Linseed oil is suitable for sealing. It penetrates deep into the fibers and forms a glossy protective layer. Linseed oil inhibits the growth of fungi, protects against moisture and prevents insect infestation. You can then paint and saw the material as you wish. Make sure that you also impregnate the interfaces.

    tips

    If you buy pressure-treated garden sleepers, you save yourself the pre-treatment. In this process, salt is pressed into the wood under high pressure, which not only protects it but also restores its original shape.

    Instructions for oiling:

    1. Sand the surface against the grain with sandpaper (P 120 grit).
    2. Apply linseed oil with a brush so that the wood appears wet
    3. Wipe off excess oil with a rag after 30 minutes
    4. Allow wood to air dry for 24 hours
    5. Repeat the process until a shiny layer has formed
    youtube

    Build a table out of railway sleepers

    Some online retailers specializing in wood products offer rustic wooden tables made from used railroad ties. The raw materials come from France or Indonesia, where the wood was used in its natural state and therefore does not emit any pollutants. If you are unsure about the origin and the possible contamination of the materials, ask the supplier directly. Untreated squared timber is an ideal alternative and is ideal for building a wooden table:

    • Three to four squared timbers with a width of 26 centimeters form the tabletop
    • two wooden planks of length 260 cm result in four table legs
    • a glass plate protects the wood and ensures a flat storage surface

    tips

    With old squared timber there are no limits to the imagination. They provide the basis for bar stools or counters and can be perfectly staged with LED light chains.

    frequently asked Questions

    How toxic are railway sleepers?

    To protect the old railway sleepers from the weather, they were treated with wood preservatives. These contained creosote, which liquefies when exposed to sunlight and forms a black sticky mass. Individual components of this impregnation such as benzo(a)pyrene lead to unpleasant odors and are considered carcinogenic and mutagenic. Sensitive people may experience breathing difficulties. Irritations are possible with direct skin contact. The toxic substance could also be detected in very old wooden sleepers, although these did not show any tar oil secretions on the outside.

    How do I recognize old railway sleepers?

    The black adhesions are typical of old sleepers that have been impregnated with creosote. They sometimes form sticky residues or can be completely dry, giving the wood a black colour. The material gives off an unpleasant odor reminiscent of tar. With very old wooden sleepers, the black secretions may be absent.

    What are the dimensions and weights of railway sleepers?

    Railway sleepers are usually 240 to 270 centimeters long, 26 centimeters wide and 16 centimeters high. The distance to each other in the track bed is 60 centimetres. The weight varies depending on the type of wood. At 70 kilograms, oak sleepers are slightly lighter than blocks of beech wood, which weigh 100 kilograms. With the attachment, the dead weight of 120 kilograms remains comparatively low.

    Are concrete slabs a suitable alternative to railway sleepers?

    The companies Kann and EHL offer concrete blocks that look amazingly similar to real sleepers. They are characterized by a rustic appearance as well as a non-slip and easy-care surface, which makes them ideal as terrace slabs or as paving for the driveway. While an elastic layer was glued under the railway sleepers in the track bed for reasons of storage quality, concrete sleepers for decorative purposes do not have pads. The stone material is not adversely affected by a gravel bed on the terrace.

Category:

Garden design