So what’s the current knowledge on a good treatment for wood ties, that’s easily available and works well on wood? I’m about to rebuild a couple of bridges and make a new one and need the ties to last more than a few years.
Bob,
On my first bridge i used an oil based min-wax clear product, which has been outdoors for sixteen years, and is starting to near the end of its service life. the second trestle was done with the now water based min wax product, and has deteriorated faster, but still quite serviceable. the bridge ties sit on prototypical sized stringers, arraigned per the prototype and glued with titebond glue followed up with nails at every joint.
Al P.
My Indian Hill bridge was made with all Ceder ties which sit on a painted styrene over aluminum girder where moisture can linger. It’s located within the drip area of a huge 75ft Maple, The ties were stained liberally with a mixture of Minwax ebony stain and Boiled Linseed oil.
It was built in the summer of 2015 so it’s been outdoors for 9 years. So far my problems have related to the styrene and paint adhering to the aluminum and clumsy ops catching the ties with a foot while stepping over. The ties show no sign of deterioration.
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And I’ll throw in used motor oil soak (or new oil) and mine are at 18 years and still like day one after a one week soak. YMMV JMHO 
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I’m with David, I have always used a mixture of motor oil thinned with diesel. I have wooden bridges and bridge decks that have been out for as much as 20 years.
I just slop a fresh coat on with a brush every couple years. The wood ages but doesn’t rot.
I can’t argue with Dave or Rick. It’s a pretty tried and true method. I went with the stain because I wasn’t in love with the color of the used motor oil. At the time we had a lively discussion on color!
Here is one of the comparison tests…
So far, I don’t regret my decision.
in my eyes, copper sulfat / blue vitriol is the best stuff to conserve wood. (if you still find a source)
having been a wilderness settler, cutting my own trees, when i needed wood, i found two important rules:
the more tannic acid a wood has, the worse it behaves in touch with earth.
(the more “oily” it is, the more resistant)
even more important is not what kind of wood one uses, but when it was felled.
(i know, for modern people that sounds crazy, but ) wood felled during decreasing moon stays strong much longer, than wood felled at increasing moon.
as the normal customer can not know, when wood was felled, for modeling use the best way seems to me, to search “second-hand” wood.
(wood, that has been a fence and still looks strong after two or three decades should be good for two more decades as largescale-sleepers. increasing-moon wood, even new, might be done after three to five years)
Honestly, I think like like the 1:1 does sometimes. Replace what is needed and freshen up what is there.
Nothing wrong with the ease of a rattle can applied very heavily where needed. Gloss black is nice as it will sink into the wood, dry then fade out looking like creosote. It’s how I freshened up my steel bridges and ties over the years.
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WoW, Korm, I didn’t know anybody planted/worked by the signs anymore.
Not making fun, just thought it a thing of the past.
My Grandfather was a great believer, he wouldn’t do anything if the signs weren’t right.
He tried to teach me but I’m always to impatient to get things done.
when i started out, with horsepower and handtools - there was much more time for observing and thinking.
there is no need for believing, just for observing.
while the moon grows, plants make more new leaves. one can see and count that.
the juices of the plant work above ground.
during the other half of the month the juices are concentrated below surface to grow roots.
seen well, when pinseling poison on stumps of shrubbery - when poisoned with decreasing moon it works better.
i don’t know why, but i can prove, that the moon afects everything that lives.
when we castrated and branded bulls during growing moon, afterwards we had to treat 10 to 15% against inflamation. with decreasing moon less than 5%.
even in modern life the effects still work - we just ignore them.
you can test it yourself. just take a calendar and control what moon was the days when you bought more “nice to have” items than normally. (beer, booze, sweets, modeltrains etc.)
(most people find patterns there)