BajaNomad

used railroad ties

jadams - 6-24-2012 at 02:49 PM

A friend wants to take some railroad ties to his place in the south campos (San Felipe) to make a terrace in back of his house. Does anone know if this is allowed, it is used wood, but treated.
Thanks Jim

J.P. - 6-24-2012 at 02:58 PM

Dont know about the legality . But depending on how many and how far you haul them would it be worth it those things are heavy.

Bob and Susan - 6-24-2012 at 03:33 PM

you can import wood...you may need assistance

i'd contact a freight fwder

willyAirstream - 6-25-2012 at 06:55 AM

Wood needs special documents and specialized custom checks. As B and S said, use a broker. Could be a huge hassle.
Consider used tires? Plenty already here! :O:saint:

mcfez - 6-25-2012 at 07:25 AM

Dont use them! Full of toxic chemicals.

Those creosote-treated railroad ties will stink once the sun's heat hits them. Nasty stuff.

Also...............not good for animals that may chew.......

vgabndo - 6-25-2012 at 11:49 AM

The ties are terribly poisonous to the environment, and solid poured concrete has almost as many environmental concerns due to the "planetary cost" of concrete. Stone is clean, non-poisonous, free, and if necessary can be stuck together with just a fraction of the cement required for a poured retaining wall. It is also prettier, and doesn't out-gas that disgusting petroleum stench in the sunlight.

Even when not stacked, but used to retain a 2:1 slope, stone will do a fine job.

I utilized all the gorgeous top soil from the area on the left of this image in four 16 sq. ft. 18" raised planter beds and elsewhere. The dry stacked local stone holds the change in elevation very well. My SW slope gets a little flatter, and I like the look of the stone with some nice introduced moss finding a home there too.

[Edited on 6-25-2012 by vgabndo]

stacked stone 003 (Small)aa.jpg - 47kB

Mexitron - 6-25-2012 at 12:19 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by vgabndo
The ties are terribly poisonous to the environment, and solid poured concrete has almost as many environmental concerns due to the "planetary cost" of concrete. Stone is clean, non-poisonous, free, and if necessary can be stuck together with just a fraction of the cement required for a poured retaining wall. It is also prettier, and doesn't out-gas that disgusting petroleum stench in the sunlight.

Even when not stacked, but used to retain a 2:1 slope, stone will do a fine job.

I utilized all the gorgeous top soil from the area on the left of this image in four 16 sq. ft. 18" raised planter beds and elsewhere. The dry stacked local stone holds the change in elevation very well. My SW slope gets a little flatter, and I like the look of the stone with some nice introduced moss finding a home there too.

[Edited on 6-25-2012 by vgabndo]


Stone has a price tag, environmentally, if you have to haul it very far, but still a very nice look for the landscape. Concrete reabsorbs much of the CO2 from calcination over its lifetime, however the combustion part of production is polluting. But given the longevity of concrete you get a lot use for the CO2 it produces. RR ties....agree----yuck, especially if you have to cut them...been there done that!

mtgoat666 - 6-25-2012 at 12:29 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by mcfez
Dont use them! Full of toxic chemicals.

Those creosote-treated railroad ties will stink once the sun's heat hits them. Nasty stuff.

Also...............not good for animals that may chew.......


and if you sit on them, they stain your clothing. if you walk on them, tar gets tracked in house,

Cypress - 6-25-2012 at 12:55 PM

Those creosote-treated railroad ties make the best fence posts, retaining walls etc. They can even be used for patios/borders. Most of the old ones have bled out the creosote. :D

standingwave - 6-25-2012 at 02:18 PM

One observation from personal experience on used railroad ties in the Pacific Northwest is that the creosote doesn't penetrate all the way through. As a result they rot from the middle. Over twenty-five years I watched solid ties turn into hollow shells.

Jaybo - 6-25-2012 at 02:41 PM

I too 2nd what standingwave said - We used to have them for borders not only did they smell in the sun, they rotted from the middle and were also a haven for termites! We pulled them out and there were thousands of termites in them! Ugh!

Cypress - 6-25-2012 at 02:57 PM

You guys must have bought some very poorly treated ties!;D

vgabndo - 6-25-2012 at 03:54 PM

Mexitron said: "But given the longevity of concrete you get a lot use for the CO2 it produces."

I agree, but that may play into my argument (?), when no one wants the retaining wall anymore, it isn't such a punk to take apart a stone wall. :lol:

Mexitron - 6-25-2012 at 06:36 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by vgabndo
Mexitron said: "But given the longevity of concrete you get a lot use for the CO2 it produces."

I agree, but that may play into my argument (?), when no one wants the retaining wall anymore, it isn't such a punk to take apart a stone wall. :lol:


True dat! Though on a recent landscape we tore out an old retaining wall fairly easily with jackhammers and used the rubble onsite as a base for a raised patio.....which is fine unless he doesn't want the raised patio anymore:lol:

Jaybo - 6-26-2012 at 08:41 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cypress
You guys must have bought some very poorly treated ties!;D


In my case they were pretty old ties - 30yrs old or so - In my line of work I hear from contractors who are removing the ties on a regular basis the 2 biggest reason are the smell and termites. They are a "cheap" wall building material if your source is close but the smell is nasty in the heat. YMMV but so happy to be rid of ours :)

durrelllrobert - 6-26-2012 at 10:42 AM

Quote:
Consider used tires? Plenty already here! :O:saint:

I concur; makes great green wall when planted and can also be stuccoed over:

Cypress - 6-26-2012 at 11:20 AM

Heck! They still make the best corner posts for fences. Don't know of anyone running around sniffing fence posts with the exception of K-9's.:lol:

mcfez - 6-27-2012 at 08:00 AM

The stucco wall idea is GREAT! San Felipe has many of these going up (before the housing bust). Good reusable material (tires) can be gathered up from anywhere in Baja.
http://www.readymade.com/projects/how_to_build_a_wall_rural_...


Also for the wall above......you can use Papercrete. There's plenty of paper too in Baja.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoLBeV6tzJ4

The un'stucco walls are ugly as me! Plus.....the tires will move out of position in time. All tires do "move", even the buried ones at the dumps!


Quote:
Originally posted by durrelllrobert
Quote:
Consider used tires? Plenty already here! :O:saint:

I concur; makes great green wall when planted and can also be stuccoed over:



[Edited on 6-27-2012 by mcfez]

durrelllrobert - 6-27-2012 at 09:56 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cypress
Heck! They still make the best corner posts for fences. Don't know of anyone running around sniffing fence posts with the exception of K-9's.:lol:

...and you even need to train them :lol::lol::lol:

Cypress - 6-27-2012 at 10:14 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by durrelllrobert
Quote:
Originally posted by Cypress

...and you even need to train them :lol::lol::lol:

:o:o:biggrin: