Railway sleeper as window sills?

lstar337

DaftyDuck wrote: »

I get new "railway sleepers" for £20

I thought new sleepers were concrete?

bozzy18

No its made of wood. I know railway companies uses concrete nowadays!

Apodemus

27cool wrote: »

My wife has some miniature items made from South African railway sleepers. But they are made from a very nice hardwood. Not the rather nasty stuff that British sleepers were made from.

If you know your woods, even old British sleepers are worth a second glance, some were imported tropical hardwoods. I knew someone who fashioned a lovely rifle stock from a hardwood British sleeper (from the Kyle line, I think).

Apodemus

lstar337 wrote: »

I thought new sleepers were concrete?

I don't think that is entirely true. I know of a couple of piles of new sleepers sitting by the railway waiting to go in, that are all wood.

Gloomendoom

Apodemus wrote: »

If you know your woods, even old British sleepers are worth a second glance, some were imported tropical hardwoods. I knew someone who fashioned a lovely rifle stock from a hardwood British sleeper (from the Kyle line, I think).

Australian jarrah wood sleepers are the best I have come across.

Chanes

Old railway sleepers were usually soaked in tar - avoid them! They look fine until they get warm and the tar seeps out of the grain.