Am thinking of building railroad tie wall using 6x8 ties with 6''side for the height.
It will be 30'' high and 25' long.

How would it look if I stepped ties back 2'' and ending top tie with 6x6 instead of 6x8.

Have seen walls built straight , never with a step back.

Chuck

Most folks I know are taking down the railroad tie wall because they do no last more than about 20 years and give off some dangerous fumes. Stepping back is a good idea but you will still need to use several spikes per tie.

Had a very nice stone wallthat was built year before bought house 6 years ago. 3'' stone with 8'' block backer. Block was left hollow. Wall collapsed. Typical of workmanship this area.

Too much work to clean stone and rebuild correct. Plus wall will be 5' longer.

Have choice of 4 different railroad ties for project. Will check with yard man for safest.

Thanks

Chuck

It is the water in the ground behind the wall that pushes walls over, not the earth. That means drainage, drainage, drainage.

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Originally Posted by hkstroud

It is the water in the ground behind the wall that pushes walls over, not the earth. That means drainage, drainage, drainage.

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That could be part of problem, but mortar between block was only 1/4'' (almost nonexisting).

The few block walls that I have built, have always filled them with rock and crete. I have never built higher then 5 block.

Chuck

Actually Harold I think water does the most damage but the dirt freezes too and swells. Drainage and an good rubble backing help a lot.

I developed a very good system for retaining walls back in the 70s They are still where I put them weather it be block railroad ties or a poured concrete. Some of these walls are over 8' last railroad was over 600 Ties..

Retaining walls 101

Every retaining wall I build I slope back the dirt at a 45 degree angle. Lets say it's a driveway wall. Backfill about a foot above the driveway wall and mechanically tamp. Slope the tamped dirt behind the wall so it drains to one end or both. Now this is the base set for the 4" landscape clothed cover perforates pipe to sit in.
All back fill from there is 2b clean limestone and it takes quite a bit to back fill. Once its filled with stone 1 1/2" from the top landscape cloth and now dirt.

Make sure the pipe drains out the end of the wall its sloped towards Or weep holes out of wall.

With the stone being at a 45 its acts as a drain field and the freezing water never pushes the wall.

On the railroad ties, I use a chain saw and steel rods and big steel pins. I heat and bend 3/8 bar and take a chainsaw and cut a grove to each end of the ties. I ten use the bent U shape rebar and lay that on the grove and drill in each tie. Now I can Pound the U bar in both ties to tie them to each other. Also place some (Tie Back ties) in the wall and drill through them front and back. Run short pin in front at wall and a bigger steel pin back into the ground. I usually use 1" round steel stock for that. Drive them through tie and at an angle like pitching a tent. Back fill with stone.

Always lean a wall to wards the back. Stepping ties is very good. Not done real often in actual rail road ties because of there rounded edges and crookedness.