THE USE OF RAILROAD STAIRS IN A COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

[macmeech]

What do you think of using railroad ties as stairs. Are they appropriate for this type of setting? What are the safety hazards ?

[David Hare-Scott]

Assuming that you are talking about timber sleepers (ties) the hazards that I would look out for are uneven surfaces that could lead to people tripping on the stairs or pollution due to chemical preservative treatment. You need to know the provenance and condition of the material before you decide.

As for the setting you have only said that it is commercial which doesn't give much to go on. Is it indoors or outdoors? How long are the stairs? Will you be doing the construction yourself? Will there be a self-supporting stair and ballustrade or will they be laid on the ground?

David

[Billy]

Not to mention that it doesn't seem to have any connection to edible gardening.

[Doug Freyburger]

You have a garden of edibles on a slope so large it needs stairs, and it's at a commercial property? Okay, I've seen that. Rosemary bushes around large apartment buildings in southern California, right?

The creosote is not good for the soil but you're in a semi-arid region so there won't be all that much leaching. Railroad ties work okay in landscaping.

Because of the chemical treatment I would rather use gardening timbers. They make for smaller steps up the slope but they aren't harmful to the soil unless you get the green arsenic treated ones.

You do NOT want them for use by the regular tenants. Just for the gardening staff. Too much of a trip hazard.

[DogDiesel]

I used to think railroad ties were great. Until I tried to use them as borders. They work fine, then they rot, then moles move in. And ants . Then they suck digging them up. And getting rid of the moles. A decade later I find that they leech preservative too. So I don't want them around my veggies.

Now if you're trying to do some type of rough cut style stairs with new ties. Feng Shwei style or something. Maybe.

Diesel.