Railway Sleepers Blogs

Everyone is looking to improve and develop aren’t they? Well so are AVS Fencing Supplies. We have recently launched a new Railway Sleeper website with a range of improvements, which can be found at www.sleeper-supplies.co.uk. On this website you can find a range of products including our Second Hand Hardwood and Softwood Railway sleepers, as well as mini garden sleepers, which are priced very competitively.

Unfortunately, the World Cup ended rather abruptly for England. Don't worry though, the good news is that now is a perfect time for you to spend some of that extra spare time outside enjoying your garden. What a perfect way for you to take your mind off the tragic footy.

If your Garden Fencing or garden decking is starting to look untidy and you want to change this before the winter months, you should try AVS Fencing Supplies as your low cost specialist supplier of Garden Fencing Panels, Decking Materials and Railway Sleepers. On the subject of sleepers – how many of you nearly fell asleep watching England playing?

Don't forget that we offer competitive products including lap fence panels, trellis and new softwood sleepers to name a few. 

All of these products are offered at low prices and are available with the added benefit of being able to be brought online! AVS Fencing Suppliers give England something to be proud of – perfect gardens!

 
 

 

With the economic recession hitting peoples pockets, mixed with the growing demand for organic fruit and veg, the 'Grow your Own' movement continues to increase.
 
AVS Fencing Supplies are able to supply a wide range of railway sleepers that can be used to form garden beds, that can then be used to grow your own fruit and veg.
 
We offer a range of new railway sleepers both softwood and hardwood sleepers that would be ideal to create your own garden bed and as we offer home delivery, so you could be growing your own vegetables in no time at all!

Do you know how to make a bed from railway sleepers?

No? Don't worry, we've found a great movie clip from BBC2's Gardener's World. Click here to see the full instructions and everything you need to start preparing your raised garden bed with AVS Railway Sleepers.

Happy Digging!

AVS Fencing Supplies are a huge supplier of railway sleepers for garden and landscaping projects. This means you can have great confidence in the product with competitive prices and rapid delivery. Railway sleepers supplied included are both new and recycled in hardwood and treated softwood and are creosote-free.

The advantages of raised beds are:

• You can add soil which is suitable for herbs, vegetables or plants you want to grow.
• They save you back strain because you don't have to bend down so far!
• They need less watering than containers.

The disadvantage of raised beds is:

• You have to design and build them.

We can help to take care of that for you. Here are a few important points to bear in mind:

• Remember that raised beds are for the long term, so choose their site carefully. Do your plants want a sunny or shady position?
• Don't make your raised bed wider than you can comfortably reach.
• A height of 30 - 60 cm deep is sufficient for most small and medium sized plants.

How to make a wooden raised bed out of AVS railway sleepers.

What you will need:

Four railway sleepers;
eight tree stakes;
saw and hammer

1. Lay out the railway sleepers on edge in their final positions. Ensure that the best edge uppermost.
2. Hammer the two tree stakes into the ground, about 4cm from each corner, to hold the corners together.
3. Cut off ensuring the top of the stakes are flush with the railway sleepers. If you are making the bed on a paved surface use coach bolts to hold the sleepers together.
4. Fill your brand new sleeper raised bed with a suitable soil or compost. Top tip: If you want to grow herbs, then mix the top soil with grit.

Did you know why sleepers are called sleepers? Are you ready for this? Well ... according to Wiki Answers - when sleepers were added below the railway lines, the trains ran more smoothly and people fell asleep on their journeys.

One would normally build a railway sleeper retaining wall in your garden to support soil when they need to achieve a rapid change in ground levels usually created by forming a level area for a lawn or building.

The height of your railway sleeper retaining wall will be determined by difference in ground levels.

Most people only need to retain up to 600mm of soil so this is an easy task, which often creates an interesting and attractive feature in the garden.

The method you choose for construction will be influenced by the height.

Sleepers laid horizontally
Sleepers can be either stood on edge, which needs fewer sleepers but will need some additional supports or laid flat which is great for raised beds and lower height walls needing less additional support often just landscaping screws to join the railway sleepers.


Sleepers placed vertically
Great for medium height walls of about 1 metre high using hardwood sleepers

Joining Sleepers
Landscaping screws are great for joining sleepers together they are screwed in without needing pre-drilling and hold sleepers very firmly.

Drainage
It is advisable to place shingle behind the railway sleepers, particularly for taller structures. This can aid the life span of the sleeper and assist drainage, ensuring any water drains to the bottom and doesn’t run out between sleepers. Use a membrane on the back of the sleepers if the shingle is likely to spill through any gaps left between the sleepers.

Health & Safety
Sleepers are heavy and care should be taken when handling. Second-hand sleepers are treated with creosote so skin contact should be avoided. Taller structures may collapse if not constructed properly so if in any doubt consult a qualified engineer.

With the weather starting to improve and summer fast approaching, now is a great time to review your garden and sort out any fencing or landscaping projects that you have in mind.

Here at AVS Fencing Supplies we realise that summer never seems long enough, so when it does finally arrive you want to be able to sit back and enjoy it, without worrying about the state of your garden.

To help you create your perfect garden for summer, AVS Fencing Supplies offer a range of great products for sale via our Website & local branches. We offer core products including fence panels, timber fence posts, concrete fence posts, feather edge boards, gravel boards, chestnut paling, as well as a range of landscaping products including new & second hand railway sleepers & multi profile deck boards.

With such a great range of quality garden fencing & landscape products at competitive prices, we are sure that AVS Fencing Supplies can help you find exactly what you need no matter what job you have in mind.

Whether you need to repair a dilapidated fence, want to build a brand new garden fence, create your dream decking area or install some raised flower beds using railway sleepers, we can supply you with what you need.

Search our website now to find the garden fencing or landscaping products that you require and then buy online quickly & securely to get your garden project under way.

AVS Fencing Supplies are pleased to announce the launch of our new and improved homepage. This has been designed with you the customer in mind and aims to provide you with a streamlined process when buying your fencing & landscaping products online. Whether you are looking for fencing, decking, railway sleepers or gates our homepage will lead you to exactly what you want.

In addition you now have new and improved access to special online deals in our frequently updated Web Offers Section. These are updated constantly and offer great savings to you on products such as Lap Panels, Featheredge, Railway Sleepers, Concrete Posts & Aggregates.

Finally to ensure you don’t miss out on this seasons must have products, we have launched our 'Top 10 buys of the month'. Here you can see what fencing & landscaping related products our other customers are buying, in order to gain some inspiration and help towards your purchasing decisions.

We hope you like our new website and look forward to doing business with you soon.