Railroad Tie Retaining Wall – If you want a rustic look to your retaining wall, consider building a railroad tie retaining wall. A railroad tie retaining wall is made up of rows (horizontal lines) of the treated wood. The links are maintained to the ground and the other with rebar spikes.
When a railway company replaces its sleepers, it pulls the old ones and replaces them with new ones. Many of these old dormers are packaged and sold to consumers to be used by a large number of jobs. The most common work that they are used for is the construction of walls and fences. Sleepers are pre-soaked in wood preservation agents that prolong the shelf life of the wood, even when placed underground. While sleepers may not be the most beautiful of materials to use for building a wall, depending on your personal taste, the low cost and durability outweigh the cons. Use the following guidelines to build your retaining wall of the railroad tie.
Railroad Tie Retaining Wall
Step 1 – Measures
Before making a supply order, you must know how much sleepers you need. Estimate the number of linear feet in the length of your wall, then the number of rows you will need. If your wall is more than 2 rows high, you will need Deadmen every 8 feet. Do not forget to add in linear feet required for all Deadmen. Summarize your total linear feet and add a little more to account for errors, distorted links, and cut off the ends.
Estimate the amount of rebar that you need. 116-inch pieces will tie the ends of each rail link with tie below. 18-inch pieces will tie the bottom row ends of railway links with the ground. Keep the weights from sliding on the floor by placing 18 inches long rebar perpendicularly through the forward end of the buried.
Step 2 – Preparation
Begin by removing the floor of the current slope. You have to take the floor back further than where you want the wall to be in order to have space for installing the retaining wall. The floor will then be backfilled to meet the wall. Level the ground where you want to install your wall. Compacting the ground and provide a stable base for the wall.
Step 3 – The first 2 rows
Always wear gloves when handling pressure and chemically treated wood. There are chemicals in the wood that will harm you and wood is often rough and scaly. Using a chainsaw for cutting the links to length. Shifting the ends to maintain the lengths of rebar interfere.
Lay the first row on the floor level. Tie the ends into the ground with 18 inches long rebar. Place the second. Attach the ends in the first row with 16 inches long rebar.
Step 4 – including Deadmen higher grades
At higher ranks, deadmen must be added every eight feet. Press any rebar length perpendicularly through the end of each deadman before installing it into the ground. Set near the end of the row below and Spike in the link below with a piece of 16-inch rebar. Offset each row so that neither the dead body nor the links overlap.
Step 5 – Fill
Staple a landscape fabric layer to the back of the wall to keep the soil to filter through the gaps between the links. Provide a layer of gravel at the back of the wall to promote good drainage and improve the lifespan of your wall. Fill in the rest of the space behind the wall with good soil. Avoid swelling clays that will push the wall in place.
