I have questions on railroad ties.

[iamdrglass]

I have a few projects and would like your opinions. I need to build a head gate so I can dam an irrigation ditch to pump water to my garden. If I use railroad ties for the dam will they contaminate my water to much to use on the garden? Also could I safely use them for the foundation of my chicken coop and greenhouse foundation?
Thanks,
Dan

[Callieslamb]

You are probably going to get answers from both camps here. I am not sure it will help you decide what you need to do.

I would not use ties for the dam but would use them for the chicken coop and greenhouse. I use treated lumber also, though. I am not sure, but cinder blocks might be cheaper for the greenhouse and chicken coop if you are buying the timbers from a lumberstore.

[iamdrglass]

The 8ft ties are only $4.75 each and the 9ft $5.75 the longer lengths are $2.00 a foot. I thought that was a good deal.
Thanks,
Dan

[catahoula]

Railroad ties are nasty. I know that sounds lame, but they are heavy, smelly, dirty and hard on saws. That being said, they do last a long long time.

I second the motion for cement block.

[Toads tool]

The chicken coop over at the other farm used railroad ties butted up next to each other as the whole floor/foundation at once. The old farm house was abandoned in the 90's and the coop was there from the get, probably turn of the century. All traces of poo has long been eaten or turned to dust, the ties look pristine except for scratches.

I plan on dragging them out and using them for landscaping since there are no ties in this area for sale.

The chickens/eggs that were raised on these ties fed several generations of folks and none of them wound up with any health maladies. In fact that whole family has hit their 80's and 90's before passing.

[copperkid3]

Originally Posted by iamdrglass

The 8ft ties are only $4.75 each and the 9ft $5.75 the longer lengths are $2.00 a foot. I thought that was a good deal.
Thanks,
Dan

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Pray tell us where you are that you can get them for that price?!!! We're lucky if we can find so-called "treated" landscape timbers for that first price.....wish we had some, they make great corner fence posts and for that price, we could use them for every post!!!

I wouldn't be too concerned about using them to dam your irrigation ditch; they'd have to leach a tremendous amount of creosote out in a short time before it would affect anything. I've seen them in place for over 50 yrs on some BIG projects and still looking like the day they were put in.

[Thoughthound]

Yes on the chicken coop. No on the dam and greenhouse. Ties leach carcinogens.

A better dam would be a mound of clay soil on a 3:1 slope.