Just to add to Cliff's suggestion about softwood sleepers - I soaked mine in 50/50 creosote and old engine oil. I stood them on end in a "muck bucket". Two days one way up and two days reversed. I lifted the track in September for a house move which still hasn't happened (= nightmare) and lesson I learnt from this was the need for good drainage. Most of the sleepers (which had been laid in/on granite chippings over a anti-weed membrane) were virtually as new but where soil had clogged the drainage they were significantly degraded. One other point is that I used 2" X 1" tanalised batten initially and its longevity was very good but it's stability was nowhere near as good as with my 2" deep software sleepers. Regards Dennis MODEL ENGINEERING DISCUSSION LIST. To UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, send a blank email to, modeleng-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line.