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I did railroad tie planter box borders at my parents house many years ago. Here's my advice:
Buy several extra chains for your chain saw if you plan on sawing.
To anchor the railroad ties to the ground....drill a couple of holes and drive a piece of re-bar thru it into the ground. This keeps the tie from moving. Also, if you are stacking the ties, you can do the same to the next tie...pound a piece of re-bar thru the top tie and into the one below it. I learned this trick from a contractor friend of mine and his retaining wall did not budge.
Don't worry about the creasote cause you'll never get rid of it. However, after a year or so, the outside of the ties will start to look like natural wood again.
When you buy your ties, go to the yard and select them yourself. There are many grades and the better ones cost more. But, I think you will find that if your are building a retaining wall that is 4-6 feet, you will want the better ones...they'll stack better.
For a more rustic look, why not use nice ties for the verticle posts vs. steel. You can also get large thru bolts to hold thing together. It may be easier to drill holes thru a tie rather than a steel beam.
Just my $.02 worth......Vern
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