Sleeper retainer post
A steel post with a channel down it that holds the ends of stacked railway sleepers, so a sleeper wall needs no fixings through the timber.
Also called: sleeper post, sleeper retaining post, railway sleeper post, sleeper retainer
A sleeper retainer post is a length of structural steel with a channel running down it. The end of a railway sleeper drops into that channel from above and stays there under its own weight — nothing bolts through the timber, and the small gap left around the sleeper is what lets it swell and shrink through the year without splitting.
Three positions
- End — a PFC (U) channel, 125 x 65, 11.9 kg/m. Timber on one side only. Two per straight run.
- Intermediate — an RSJ (H) beam, 117.6 x 64, 8.6 kg/m. Timber on both faces, so it takes the joint between two sleepers. One per joint.
- Corner — the same 125 x 65 channel section as the end, for where a run changes direction.
Finishes and heights
All three come raw, hot dip galvanised or powder coated, in ten overall heights from 600mm to 3.0M. The finish changes nothing structural — raw for posts that will be hidden or painted, galvanised for anything left outdoors, powder coated where the steel is on show.
Overall height is the full length of the steel. The usual rule of thumb is to bury a third of it in concrete, so a 1.8M post leaves about 1.2m standing — six courses of 195mm sleeper.
Sleeper retainer post products we stock
Frequently asked questions
- Do sleeper posts need fixings?
No. The sleeper end slots into the channel and is held by the weight of the stack. Leaving the timber loose in the channel is deliberate — it stops the sleeper splitting when it swells.
- What size sleeper will fit the posts?
Up to 100mm wide. Our 195 x 95mm sleepers fit with a small allowance for movement.