Are railroad ties safe for retaining walls?
Using railroad ties for garden beds can pose a threat to your soil, pets and children, as well as the food you grow. Railroad ties are thick, durable, cheap, recycled wood that forms long-lasting barriers for beds, paths, and retaining walls.
How do you attach a railroad tie to a retaining wall?
This is how we made a basic retaining wall using railroad ties found on our farm.
- Step 1: Level and Tamp Down the Area.
- Step 2: Cut the Area to Make a Snug Fit for the Railroad Ties.
- Step 3: Add in a Layer of Gravel.
- Step 4: Level the First Tie in the Wall.
- Step 5: Make Your Pins to Secure the Ties Together.
How do you anchor railroad ties to the ground?
Burying the first row of ties and pounding ample steel spikes or lengths of rebar to hold levels of ties together effectively anchors the ties.
- Excavate a trench to accommodate the bottom layer of railroad ties.
- Tamp the soil at the bottom of the trench to compact it.
Do railroad ties contaminate soil?
If the railroad ties are old, creosote may ooze out, leeching the soil and killing plants, insects and small animals. Creosote also pollutes the local watershed and can be dangerous to health with prolonged or frequent contact. Wood oozing creosote should be disposed of immediately as municipal solid waste.
How toxic are old railroad ties?
Railroad ties can leach creosote into soil and water systems. Eating food or drinking water with high levels of creosote may cause burning in the mouth and throat, stomach pains, severe skin irritation, convulsions, and kidney and liver problems in humans.
What is a Deadman in a retaining wall?
A Deadman railroad tie is a railroad tie that runs perpendicular to the retaining wall and into the hill that you are building the retaining wall against. Deadman ties are great for ensuring the retaining wall is as solid as possible. We recommend using a deadman railroad tie every 20 feet of your retaining wall.
Do railroad ties attract termites?
Termites come up from the ground to feed on any rotting wood they find. If you use railroad ties, or some other old wood as a border around your garden or flower bed, consider replacing this wood with stones.
How do you keep water out of railroad ties?
A plastic felt that goes underneath the first course of railroad ties, and the back of the wall, must be used to keep water away from the wood. Even if it is treated, sitting in a puddle of water will eat its way through the treatment after a long period of time.
Can you build a retaining wall with railroad ties?
When building a retaining wall out of any material, and especially with railroad ties, you must have some sort of tie between the wall and the ground it is holding back. With railroad ties you should use a 4 foot length of a tie that goes straight into the hillside and is also resting on the wall itself.
How to build a fence with railroad ties and gravel?
You want to cut the area where the wall will be square so the ties fit in there nicely. Make the area about 5 or 6 inches deeper than the railroad ties so you have room to fill the area behind the tie wall with gravel.
How do you fix a railroad tie wall on a hill?
Make the area about 5 or 6 inches deeper than the railroad ties so you have room to fill the area behind the tie wall with gravel. This will allow any water coming down the hill to seep into the gravel instead of bulging out your tie wall and eventually making it fall down or move.