A few years ago when Railroads were using hardwood sleepers for rail track
supports, loggers used to pay to access Properties to harvest hardwood timber for sleepers. The hardwood used here came from Australia Hardwood Eucalypts ( different types of Gum trees ).
The photos here show a sleeper dump on a property in Northern New South Wales, Australia. You can see where the Bark was peeled off, and some rough-sawn sleepers that were rejected from being used - mainly the edge cuts from the side of the trunks. We use these sleeper rejects for all types of things on the Farm, as they are very useful and long lasting. There are about 10 to 15 of these sleeper dumps sites on the Property. The trees in the background with the thin trunks ( close together ) are Black Cypress Pine. This is also an Australian Native tree. The wood from this tree is useful for undercover, or indoor purposes mainly, but can also be used for outdoor use, however being a softer wood, it is not too long lasting, and can contain knots which weaken the wood making it less suitable for construction.
