Concrete railroad ties?

[tallyho8]

Mjncad,
Rubber cross ties! You got to be kidding! Lotsa things can be adapted from them, too. Tallyho...you need to latch onto a few of them. Is wood that high of a price, now?

You can see them at TieTek Composite Railroad Ties

 

[mjncad]

Mjncad,

I have never seen plastic ones. Never knew they existed. I will do a search on them and learn more. You are like me...adapting stuff for different uses. I don't pass up a truck flap or two laying alongside the road, orange gas pipe, sometimes a sign or two, etc...

Rubber cross ties! You got to be kidding! Lotsa things can be adapted from them, too. Tallyho...you need to latch onto a few of them. Is wood that high of a price, now?

Here you go RedBug.

Global offers a wide variety of Parking Curb, Parking Lot Equipment, Driveway Curbs, Eagle, Parking Stop, Rubber Curb, Eagle and Parking Stop.

I think Global's main warehouse is in Georgia, so you shouldn't get dinged on UPS charges too bad for the bumpers. All of mine came UPS. Global sells the bumpers cheaper than anyone, though I tend to think they are a tad high on shipping costs; but they sell the curbs for about 1/2 to 2/3 of what I've seen other places charge. If you do buy them, I suggest getting lag screws 1-inch shorter than the ones supplied. This is because I managed to snap one off while installing it. Fortunately the concrete repair is hidden under the curb.

 

[jinman]

You can see them at TieTek Composite Railroad Ties

When I saw this, I immediately thought of rubber tires before even seeing that is the major component of the ties. I also think the rubber ties might generate less noise, plus the rails might last longer because they are on a cushioned base compared to concrete. How long do you think it will be before we see concrete ties with rubber inserts where the rail attaches? They may even come up with a process for pouring the ties in place like the highway dividers. Wouldn't that be cool?

 

[Redbug]

Thanks Mjncad! I plan to order a few of those plastic curbs. Great for a raised garden and should last a lifetime. One or two may get used on other projects. Solid plastic that size has lots of odd uses for the do-it-yer-selfer.

 

[Eagleview]

The two main reasons we use concrete rail sleepers in Australia is 1/ When our trains reached the 1500 metre in length mark they found they where pulling the bends in the tracks straight . The extra weight of the concrete sleepers keep the tracks in place on corners . 2/ Is the fact that large "Royal" species timber is getting hard to come by . Ive had a look in the plant that makes them in my home town , Grafton NSW . They have rows of moulds that they pass steel reo rod through . The rods are attached to hydraulic headstocks at each end . The two headstocks pull away from each other putting the rods under imense tension . the concrete it poured and the moulds are covered with tarps . Steam is then feed under the tarps to cure the concrete . After they have cured , the headstocks are released and the reo trimmed from each end of the sleeper and sealed to prevent rust . Many are rejected daily and we all swoop on them like Vultures . When they are laid they have a Polypropylene pad about 6"x6" placed on them which the track sits on and then a spring clip made of about 3/4" spring wire is clipped to the bottom flange .