Ron

There are hundreds of species of eucalypts but only a very few were
preferred for uses like railway sleepers.  These were usually ironbarks
and some of the box gum species, as well as turpentine [not a eucalypt].
 These have dense heavily fissured bark all over, not the classic
'peeling' look of the stringybarks.

A common complaint for eucalypts is that the wood splits unless
seasoned properly.  The preferred timber species are very dense and
don't split as much, but also the core of gum trees is often resinous
and rotten even in what appear to be very sound tall trees.  Most
sleepers were, historically, cut by axe from forest trees, rather than
being milled, because of the need for quality control.  Sleepers were
bought green at the regional logging towns after further quality
inspection and shipped to depots where they gradually seasoned.  Dont
know what the discard rate was before they were finally put in place.
Apart from termite attack sleepers and similar big dimension beams in
drier climates lasts pretty well.

Denis

>>> [log in to unmask] 02/08/02 11:59am >>>
Robert,

How well does eucalyptus wood last out your way? When the railroads
planted
eucalyptus here in California to create their own rail ties, the wood
split
and the railroad declared their program worthless. We have small copses
of
those "tie" forests in various locations around Southern California.

Ron May
Legacy 106, Inc.