Making a pond from railway sleepers.

GlacierHi,
Hubby is hoping to construct a new pond from railway sleepers. He is quite
happy about doing this without plans/help, I (on the other hand) would
prefer to see some instructions/help as it will be quite an expensive
undertaking. Is there any where on the internet where we could find
instructions and answers to any problems which may come up.
Thanks in advance.

-- Grannie Annie --
*))) (((*

*Note: There are TWO "Koi-Lo's" on this NG*

"Ann Heanes" wrote in message
...
GlacierHi,
Hubby is hoping to construct a new pond from railway sleepers. He is quite
happy about doing this without plans/help, I (on the other hand) would
prefer to see some instructions/help as it will be quite an expensive
undertaking. Is there any where on the internet where we could find
instructions and answers to any problems which may come up.
Thanks in advance.

-- Grannie Annie --
*))) (((*
=========================
I wish I could be more help but do know someone who used them, drilling
trough them and joining them together with rebar. They used a thick rubber
liner and had no problems. Maybe someone will come along and offer you more
advice on these "sleeper" ponds.
--
Koi-Lo....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
Aquariums since 1952.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
*Note: There are several *Koi-Lo's*
on the pond and aquaria groups.
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

Koi-Lo wrote:

"Ann Heanes" wrote in message
...

Hubby is hoping to construct a new pond from railway sleepers. He is
quite happy about doing this without plans/help, I (on the other hand)
would prefer to see some instructions/help as it will be quite an
expensive undertaking. Is there any where on the internet where we could
find instructions and answers to any problems which may come up.

I wish I could be more help but do know someone who used them, drilling
trough them and joining them together with rebar. They used a thick
rubber
liner and had no problems. Maybe someone will come along and offer you
more advice on these "sleeper" ponds.

I used them for part of my pond (I used an earth berm for the rest) and
wouldn't do it that way again. Creosote soaked railway sleepers are way
more toxic than PT lumber, and I discovered that even very old sleepers
manage to transfer some of that creosote to your skin or clothes.
However, the basic principle of building with large lumber is pretty
simple. For two or three sleepers height, just drill holes through them,
and pound a rebar through and at least a foot into the ground. I used huge
dovetail joints on my corners, and that turned out to be serious
engineering overkill. Just overlap the timbers. Then put a standard pond
liner - your choice of material - in the hole.
--
derek

Well what do you expect for something like this coming from a Canuck
that is a well known dumbass to begin with...............duh!

On Tue, 02 May 2006 12:19:09 -0300, Derek Broughton
wrote:
Koi-Lo wrote:

"Ann Heanes" wrote in message
...

Hubby is hoping to construct a new pond from railway sleepers. He is
quite happy about doing this without plans/help, I (on the other hand)
would prefer to see some instructions/help as it will be quite an
expensive undertaking. Is there any where on the internet where we could
find instructions and answers to any problems which may come up.

I wish I could be more help but do know someone who used them, drilling
trough them and joining them together with rebar. They used a thick
rubber
liner and had no problems. Maybe someone will come along and offer you
more advice on these "sleeper" ponds.

I used them for part of my pond (I used an earth berm for the rest) and
wouldn't do it that way again. Creosote soaked railway sleepers are way
more toxic than PT lumber, and I discovered that even very old sleepers
manage to transfer some of that creosote to your skin or clothes.
However, the basic principle of building with large lumber is pretty
simple. For two or three sleepers height, just drill holes through them,
and pound a rebar through and at least a foot into the ground. I used huge
dovetail joints on my corners, and that turned out to be serious
engineering overkill. Just overlap the timbers. Then put a standard pond
liner - your choice of material - in the hole.

Koi-Lo....
Frugal ponding since 1982.
Aquariums since 1956.
Some assholes Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
*Note: There are several *Koi-Lo's* on rec.ponds.
But, I am the one and only original Koi-Lo.
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

railway sleepers are treated with really disgusting smelling preservatives that reek
when it gets hot. not to mention they are very bulky and difficult to connect
together. why not just construct a simple stud wall with green treated 2x4s and face
it on the inside with green treated plywood? here is mine
http://weloveteaching.com/mypond/2000/p2000.htm
Ingrid

"Ann Heanes" wrote:

GlacierHi,
Hubby is hoping to construct a new pond from railway sleepers. He is quite
happy about doing this without plans/help, I (on the other hand) would
prefer to see some instructions/help as it will be quite an expensive
undertaking. Is there any where on the internet where we could find
instructions and answers to any problems which may come up.
Thanks in advance.

-- Grannie Annie --
*))) (((*




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at
http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/
sign up: http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?...s=Group+lookup
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I receive no compensation for running the Puregold list or Puregold website.
I do not run nor receive any money from the ads at the old Puregold site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zone 5 next to Lake Michigan

Because the folks want cross ties, thats why.What may be offensive and
disgusting to some is not to others, so why do folks in these forums
always have to change or try top sway folks minds...........Its like
this.......Who gives a flying **** what you have yur pond made out of,
they want sleepers, so get the **** over it folks, or do not reply
unless you can answer their quesiton as asked..They did not ask what
to make their pond out of now did they? As much as I hate to admit it
the bitch Carol came the closest to answering the post in the manner
of what they wanted to know.......Difficult to connect and heavy may
be to you a insurmountable task, to them may be not.....its their
decision..Go with the cross ties, its a good base and will last
forever .
We all have our own personal tastes and there is certainly nothing
wrong with sleepers......







On Tue, 02 May 2006 21:34:39 GMT, wrote:
railway sleepers are treated with really disgusting smelling preservatives that reek
when it gets hot. not to mention they are very bulky and difficult to connect
together. why not just construct a simple stud wall with green treated 2x4s and face
it on the inside with green treated plywood? here is mine
http://weloveteaching.com/mypond/2000/p2000.htm
Ingrid

"Ann Heanes" wrote:

GlacierHi,
Hubby is hoping to construct a new pond from railway sleepers. He is quite
happy about doing this without plans/help, I (on the other hand) would
prefer to see some instructions/help as it will be quite an expensive
undertaking. Is there any where on the internet where we could find
instructions and answers to any problems which may come up.
Thanks in advance.

-- Grannie Annie --
*))) (((*




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at
http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/
sign up: http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?...s=Group+lookup
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
I receive no compensation for running the Puregold list or Puregold website.
I do not run nor receive any money from the ads at the old Puregold site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zone 5 next to Lake Michigan

Koi-Lo....
Frugal ponding since 1982.
Aquariums since 1956.
Some assholes Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
*Note: There are several *Koi-Lo's* on rec.ponds.
But, I am the one and only original Koi-Lo.
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

"Ann Heanes" wrote in message
...
GlacierHi,
Hubby is hoping to construct a new pond from railway sleepers. He is quite
happy about doing this without plans/help, I (on the other hand) would
prefer to see some instructions/help as it will be quite an expensive
undertaking. Is there any where on the internet where we could find
instructions and answers to any problems which may come up.
Thanks in advance.

-- Grannie Annie --
*))) (((*


It's not that hard, but I wish I had known there were different grades of
railway sleeper, including "new" (no preservative) before I ordered mine.

Go and see the sleepers first and make sure the sleepers delivered are the
ones that were picked.
Mine obviously wasn't.
http://www.katzsisters.com/Summer~04~018.jpg
This has all changed now, and there is another, bigger, sleeper pond where
the small moulded one was.

As derek said, dovetail the ends ( long one, then short one), put a layer of
sand down (I was on slabs), very thick weed membrane, then the liner.

Fill and stretch, and stick a top around the edges.
HTH

Peter

** ~ A R T J A M E S ~ ** Roy's friend! wrote:
Because the folks want cross ties, thats why.What may be offensive and
disgusting to some is not to others, so why do folks in these forums
always have to change or try top sway folks minds...........Its like
this.......Who gives a flying **** what you have yur pond made out of,
they want sleepers, so get the **** over it folks, or do not reply
unless you can answer their quesiton as asked..They did not ask what
to make their pond out of now did they? As much as I hate to admit it
the bitch Carol came the closest to answering the post in the manner
of what they wanted to know.......Difficult to connect and heavy may
be to you a insurmountable task, to them may be not.....its their
decision..Go with the cross ties, its a good base and will last
forever .
We all have our own personal tastes and there is certainly nothing
wrong with sleepers......







On Tue, 02 May 2006 21:34:39 GMT, wrote:

railway sleepers are treated with really disgusting smelling preservatives that reek
when it gets hot. not to mention they are very bulky and difficult to connect
together. why not just construct a simple stud wall with green treated 2x4s and face
it on the inside with green treated plywood? here is mine
http://weloveteaching.com/mypond/2000/p2000.htm
Ingrid

"Ann Heanes" wrote:

GlacierHi,
Hubby is hoping to construct a new pond from railway sleepers. He is quite
happy about doing this without plans/help, I (on the other hand) would
prefer to see some instructions/help as it will be quite an expensive
undertaking. Is there any where on the internet where we could find
instructions and answers to any problems which may come up.
Thanks in advance.

-- Grannie Annie --
*))) (((*




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at
http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/
sign up: http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?...s=Group+lookup
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
I receive no compensation for running the Puregold list or Puregold website.
I do not run nor receive any money from the ads at the old Puregold site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zone 5 next to Lake Michigan


Koi-Lo....
Frugal ponding since 1982.
Aquariums since 1956.
Some assholes Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
*Note: There are several *Koi-Lo's* on rec.ponds.
But, I am the one and only original Koi-Lo.
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

Now, railway sleepers certainly exude a number of resins...I use them in
my garden as ways of creating raised flower beds in an altogether flat
environment...but I will have to be with Carol and Roy here that if you
buy a good enough pond liner it will not be an issue....when we got the
kiddy area put in the landscape people were saying to us that we could
make a great Koi Pond up there once the kids grow up with the correct
pond lining.....they had a lot of experience in such things....the main
structure up there is railway sleepers buried deep as well as 2 foot
above the surface....just what I got told but validated by two very
experienced people on this newsgroup - shame I have to wait so many
years for the youngest not to want to play there...

Gill

2pods wrote:

As derek said, dovetail the ends

No, I said that's what I _did_ - but dovetails are overkill

( long one, then short one)

This, though, implies that you just mean to overlap them - which is good.
To a woodworker, "dovetail" is an angled, fan-shaped joint. Difficult to
do in 1" cabinetry. Really, _really_, difficult to do with a bow saw on
railway sleepers!
--
derek

Gill Passman wrote:

Now, railway sleepers certainly exude a number of resins...I use them in
my garden as ways of creating raised flower beds in an altogether flat
environment...but I will have to be with Carol and Roy here that if you
buy a good enough pond liner it will not be an issue...

Not for your pond - that's not where the issue really lies. If they're the
old creosote ones, they're not even safe for you to sit on. Even if you
don't believe in carcinogens, they ruin your clothes. As for the
possibility that they could last a generation - who wants that in an
ornamental pond? Where's the fun of rebuilding?
--
derek