Old Ghan sleepers - what timber?

[Discoduck]

Hi
does anybody know what the timber is for the sleepers on the old original Ghan rail? Just back from Oodnadatta track and having burnt some old sleepers collected near Coward Springs. Very splintery wood of course quite old.
Cheers

[DaveR]

We'll never know now that ya burned it....... 

Sorry
Had to.
I'll jump back in my box now.

[edz]

Seems to be a lot of info on the net saying its River Red Gum others say Jarrah or Iron Bark ..link to a wood working forum http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=161979

[D4D]

As I understand old railway sleepers will have asbestos on them from the train brake blocks. I was led to believe you should never cut or burn them. Asbestos won't burn and the ash that remains contains the fibres, they then become airborne.

[Ben.Archer]

X2

And most sleeepers will have diesel, oil etc ingrained after yeats of use which certainty makes a difference when you ignite them.

[achjimmy]

As I understand old railway sleepers will have asbestos on them from the train brake blocks. I was led to believe you should never cut or burn them. Asbestos won't burn and the ash that remains contains the fibres, they then become airborne.

Wow that's a nice thought.....not

[Discoduck]

Thanks for replies. The sleeper bits we collected were very, very dry and weathered. No oil etc. on them. Asbestos? Who can say? It seems to be a common source of fire wood along the track. Indeed, the only source. Bloke at Coward Springs sells them to campers at $10 each. Cheers,

[kylarama]

Seems to be a lot of info on the net saying its River Red Gum others say Jarrah or Iron Bark ..link to a wood working forum http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=161979

I'd say all of the above is correct.  Given the length of the Ghan, they probably sourced it from all over due to quantity.

As I understand old railway sleepers will have asbestos on them from the train brake blocks. I was led to believe you should never cut or burn them. Asbestos won't burn and the ash that remains contains the fibres, they then become airborne.

That's why you only use sleepers from the middle of a long straight.
No braking.........

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[Mallory Black]

not like a train was going over the things every 15 minutes. Pretty sure they'd be safe

[chillipepperz]

I remember on my first rip up the Ghan line on the way to Dalhousie back in 1990 the thousands and thousands of the old timber sleepers pushed off to the side of the ballast waiting for someone to make use of them. Then again a few years later they were all gone (well still plenty up there still really) but the garden supply places in Adelaide had an oversupply of used sleepers for garden walls. History gone up in smoke...

Cheers!
Andrew

[MDS69]

As I understand old railway sleepers will have asbestos on them from the train brake blocks. I was led to believe you should never cut or burn them. Asbestos won't burn and the ash that remains contains the fibres, they then become airborne.

All the amenities etc at Coward Springs are built from them. Yikes.

[RebsWA]

Did the Oodnadatta track last month and are now half way thru a book about the Ghan. It says that there was the odd hold up during construction waiting for Jarrah sleepers from the south west of WA.
So far my reading has covered the section from Port Augusta to Government Gums, later renamed Farina. To date that is the only mention of sleepers.

[Moggy]

Dont know the botanical names but sleepers are usually either "Beena" or "Wasa"

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[KevL]

As I understand old railway sleepers will have asbestos on them from the train brake blocks. I was led to believe you should never cut or burn them. Asbestos won't burn and the ash that remains contains the fibres, they then become airborne.

i've been in the rail industry my entire working life. I've never seen or heard of a brake block with asbestos. All the old blocks were cast iron. Asbestos was used in car brake linings and clutch plates though.

[jw2170]

i've been in the rail industry my entire working life. I've never seen or heard of a brake block with asbestos. All the old blocks were cast iron. Asbestos was used in car brake linings and clutch plates though.

+1...

[D4D]

-5

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-16/locals-urged-not-to-buy-railway-sleepers-for-firewood/5393546
http://tamworthcountrylife.com.au/beware-burning-old-railway-sleepers-poses-serious-health-risks/
http://www.cooma.nsw.gov.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=529:health-alert-burning-of-old-railway-sleepers&catid=197&Itemid=103
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/danger-warning-on-stolen-rail-sleepers-20121103-28r1e.html
http://www.treeandgarden.com.au/recycling/banned-railway-sleepers/

[Rumpig]

-5

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-16/locals-urged-not-to-buy-railway-sleepers-for-firewood/5393546
http://tamworthcountrylife.com.au/beware-burning-old-railway-sleepers-poses-serious-health-risks/
http://www.cooma.nsw.gov.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=529:health-alert-burning-of-old-railway-sleepers&catid=197&Itemid=103
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/danger-warning-on-stolen-rail-sleepers-20121103-28r1e.html
http://www.treeandgarden.com.au/recycling/banned-railway-sleepers/

that reads like a council arse covering memo to me

Liverpool Plains Shire Council (LPSC) is warning residents of the dangers of burning old railway sleepers which might contain traces of asbestos and other dangerous chemicals.

   

i don't doubt there's likely some contaminants of some sort on the sleepers, but it doesn't concern me enough to not burn them. How much crap do people in the city breath in daily from vehicle exhausts for example, yet we don't walk the streets wearing masks to protect ourselves. Each to their own about safety concerns though, everyone's idea of what is safe and not is different.

[KevL]

If it were really a serious health risk they wouldn't allow you to drive along the old Ghan alignment. Think of how much would be in all the dust raised by passing cars.


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[MDS69]

If it were really a serious health risk they wouldn't allow you to drive along the old Ghan alignment. Think of how much would be in all the dust raised by passing cars.


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Also what about the landscape'mobs that sell them for retaining walls for the family garden.

[Juzzman]

I've also been told that the railways used arsenic as a weed killer and would spray between the rails and the ballast as well for many years before the days of caring for environment came to be.
Could be something to it, a quick google and :

"Arsenic is used as a pesticide primarily to preserve wood from rot and decay. In the past, arsenic was also used in rat poisons, ant poisons and weed killers. Old agricultural soils may contain high levels of arsenic resulting from its former agricultural uses. Airborne arsenic particles can be inhaled and they can travel long distances in the air. Most forms of arsenic tend to stick to soil or sediment particles but some can dissolve in water, possibly leaching into lakes, rivers, or ground water. Burning, sawing or sanding arsenic-treated wood can increase the chance of inhaling arsenic. Long-term exposure to arsenic can increase the risk of cancer over a lifetime. Most arsenic compounds are not well absorbed by the skin so only small amounts are likely to get into your body through your skin."

However, on saying this , would I have a fire with railway sleepers??    hell yes!!!  Life's too short and you probably do more damage to your body drinking coke
( or the stuff you drink with coke)

   

[Rumpig]

I've also been told that the railways used arsenic as a weed killer and would spray between the rails and the ballast as well for many years before the days of caring for environment came to be.
Could be something to it, a quick google and :

"Arsenic is used as a pesticide primarily to preserve wood from rot and decay. In the past, arsenic was also used in rat poisons, ant poisons and weed killers. Old agricultural soils may contain high levels of arsenic resulting from its former agricultural uses. Airborne arsenic particles can be inhaled and they can travel long distances in the air. Most forms of arsenic tend to stick to soil or sediment particles but some can dissolve in water, possibly leaching into lakes, rivers, or ground water. Burning, sawing or sanding arsenic-treated wood can increase the chance of inhaling arsenic. Long-term exposure to arsenic can increase the risk of cancer over a lifetime. Most arsenic compounds are not well absorbed by the skin so only small amounts are likely to get into your body through your skin."

However, on saying this , would I have a fire with railway sleepers??    hell yes!!!  Life's too short and you probably do more damage to your body drinking coke
( or the stuff you drink with coke)

   

i can recall as a kid my old man getting "the good stuff" from his mate who used to work on the railway crew somewhere in Brisbane, so don't doubt the outback lines likely copped a similar spray for weed controlling.

[jw2170]

Hi D4D, did you notice that all the articles seemed to quote the same press release word for word.....makes one query the initial source.. 

Cynical but, professionals protecting their dwindling market and to scare the thieves??

Using for a fire outdoors, I try and keep out of the smoke anyway....

I used old sleepers for years at Cowra...( and at Bathurst "Gallagher 500" ), yes that long ago....

[whitey1]

I can't imagine they'd be bothered spraying the weeds on outback train lines!
They may have treated the sleepers to stop termites though.
I reckon they'd be so weathered that any chemical would probably have leached out by now though so I wouldn't have any fears about burning them.