trex decking for railroad ties?

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ChooChooChris
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trex decking for railroad ties?

Post by ChooChooChris »

Has anyone used trex 2x4's long term for railroad ties.
To me they seem to not like holding screws over time but maybe we had a bad early batch.
Our club has a pile of uncut trex that some members want to use but I have reservations about it.
-Chris Srch---- Home track Tradewinds and Atlantic Railroad
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Bill Shields
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Re: trex decking for railroad ties?

Post by Bill Shields »

Correct -> you need REALLY LONG screws with appropriate threads

FWIW:

PVLS is using AccuTie sleepers with every 3rd or 4th being wood 2 X 4 to help keep things in place.
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
Bruce_Mowbray
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Re: trex decking for railroad ties?

Post by Bruce_Mowbray »

Chris, Trex is actually a multi-layer product with a hard plastic skin that covers a softer composite core made up from sawdust and plastic. Once you cut through the hard plastic skin, the underlying plastic/sawdust core is not very durable and does not hold a screw very well. In smaller cross section, the material splits very easy if not pre-drilled and the screws are not driven too tightly. I use Trex for my grade crossing planks as they are the same thickness as the height of my rail (1") and the full width board nicely fills the space between the rails. I just predrill and screw the Trex directly to my ties. I tried using the Trex on its side to maintain tie spacing in my grade crossings and that is where I discovered that thin cross sections split and don't hold screws very well.
Bruce Mowbray
Springville & Southern RR
TMB Manufacturing & Locomotive Works
ChooChooChris
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Re: trex decking for railroad ties?

Post by ChooChooChris »

Thank you all for providing me with more material to aid in the conversion to Accutie :).
-Chris Srch---- Home track Tradewinds and Atlantic Railroad
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NP317
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Re: trex decking for railroad ties?

Post by NP317 »

The Trex decking lumber I used on our deck is solid construction all the way through, expensive and HEAVY!

From the internet:

"What Are The Three Grades Of Trex decking?
Trex Transcend: The Trex Transcend line is the highest quality and most expensive line of Trex decking.
Trex Select: The Trex Enhance line is a “mid-grade” composite decking option. ...
Trex Enhance: The Trex Enhance line is the cheapest of all Trex levels. ..."

Further research should show their specific composition.
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Dick_Morris
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Re: trex decking for railroad ties?

Post by Dick_Morris »

To clarify, according to their web page, Accutie uses injection molded polypropylene. It is not the same thing as Trex.
ChooChooChris
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Re: trex decking for railroad ties?

Post by ChooChooChris »

Dick_Morris wrote: Tue Jan 24, 2023 7:03 pm To clarify, according to their web page, Accutie uses injection molded polypropylene. It is not the same thing as Trex.
I am aware.
The new club members are trying to convince the original club members to make the switch. What finally won was Trex is $3.30 for low quality $6.50 for high quality tie vs accutie at $1.70.
Last edited by ChooChooChris on Tue Feb 21, 2023 11:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
-Chris Srch---- Home track Tradewinds and Atlantic Railroad
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JBodenmann
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Re: trex decking for railroad ties?

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Before I started the high line I did some research on Trex. First off, Trex is made from cedar only. Other brands of composite decking are made from whatever is available. This makes Trex less susceptible to rot. Secondly Trex is not designed to be in contact with soil. A friend used Trex to build a 7-1/2" gauge railroad on the ground. His ties rotted in a few years. He called Trex to complain and they pointed out that they specify that the material is not to contact the ground. As stated earlier it should be pre drilled. I used Trex for the ties on the high line, cut down to about 1" x 1". It seems to be holding up just fine. Just my two cents.
Jack
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Fender
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Re: trex decking for railroad ties?

Post by Fender »

Another issue with either Trex (or treated wood) ties is with the screws. Many people use sheet metal screws to fasten the rail to the ties. But these screws are not designed for wood, and the depth of threads and threads per inch are wrong for wood (or Trex). Wood screws will hold much better.
Dan Watson
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dwilloughby
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Re: trex decking for railroad ties?

Post by dwilloughby »

The Acucutie is the best thing since sliced bread. Yea I know it's an old clich, and I was a bit leery in using it on our club track in Boulder City, NV... Well after three summers and winters in the Nevada heat and cold, the ties have stood up to the test. Our temperature variant is as low as 20 degrees and as high as 115, and that is air temperature. Rail temperature exceeds 125 degrees during our summers. You really do not need the 2 X 4 to stabilize the track sections. Proper leveling and tamping keeps the track in alignment. The 1000 or so feet that I laid in 2020 has only needed occasional ballasting as our ground in Boulder City leave a lot to be desired. My 2 cents worth.
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