Bulk Ties

You should carefully consider the type of ties you use when constructing your backyard railroad. Inferior, non-treated wooden ties will need to be replaced after just a few years. High-quality ties will last for 25 years or more. They'll help to keep your railroad running safely and smoothly.

The two materials most commonly used as ties for backyard railroads are treated lumber and plastic. Personally, we prefer the look of treated wood. Treated wooden ties are also:

• Quieter
• Easier to install
• Lighter weight
• Lower cost
• More authentic-looking than plastic!

But not all treated wood is the same. In fact, most commercially-available 2" x 2" lumber is just .25 percent ACQ treated and rated only for "above ground" applications. That's just not good enough for us and our customers.

Instead, we contracted with a local mill here in Minnesota to produce ties that are treated with a new micronized copper particle treatment to a rating of .40 percent. This "ground contact" rating is generally not available to the public in 2" x 2" lumber.

Our ties are 2" x 2" x 13.6" wide, .40 ground contact custom treated. They ship in bundles of 96 ties. You can also buy them on pallets of 35 bundles, which equals 3360 ties per pallet. Our recommendation is three ties per running foot of track. So, a 1,000-foot track will need approximately 3,000 ties.