Railway Sleepers

By Author: Adam Nicolson
Total Articles: 475
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Railway sleepers make a great addition to your garden. They can be used in many ways to add attractive features to your garden and they are now readily available. Because they are sturdy, they will last for decades with very little, if any, maintenance.

Uses for Railway Sleepers

Railway sleepers are great for building a raised bed. They retain the soil and one layer of sleepers produces beds that are at the right level for most people. However, if you want a higher bed, they can easily be stacked on top of each other.

You can make a strong wall using sleepers. They are perfect for building a retaining wall.

Some people use them to build a rough deck. They look great and are extremely easy to lay. Once laid the sleepers do not really move, so the surface of the terrace remains as you have originally built it.

If you have kids sleepers are fantastic for making a sand pit. Or, you can use them to build a play area filled with bark for swings and climbing frames. Using sleepers considerably speeds up the building process.

Buying Railway Sleepers

You can buy railway sleepers in quite ...
... a few places. Some large garden centres and DIY stores stock them. If you are lucky enough to have an old-fashioned wood yard in your area, you will often find them there. However, by far the best place to buy them is on the web. You get more choice and it is far easier to shop around for the best deal.

Online you can also buy new sleepers. These are usually lighter because they are made out of softwood and are slightly smaller than standard sleepers are. Just be careful to only buy this kind of sleeper if they have been properly treated with preservatives.

Railway sleepers are very heavy, so putting them into the back of your estate car is not really practical. Most garden centres will deliver them, however they usually charge more than the sleepers cost to do so. If you buy from the right online supplier, you will pay far less for delivery.

Turf and Surf sell a selection of railway sleepers at great prices. They deliver to the whole of the UK as well as Northern Ireland.