Cross-tie market hot?

[ellmoe]

   I received an inquiry today from a cross-tie buyer. That doesn't happen much here in Cent. Fla.. When I ask why the inquiry, he expressed that the tie market was heatig up. The last posts I remember reading on the Forum was that they had cut back on purchasing ties( this was a few months ago). Has the market improved, or is there just less survivors out there to saw?

Mark

[Papa1stuff]

If your not interested send hime to me  ;D ;D

[ARKANSAWYER]

 Mills are droping like cow pies around here.  Splat! then they are all dried up and gone.  My phone is ringing off the hook from people 4 states away looking for products.  Shipping has killed most of the deals at $3.00 a gal diesel.  Just got two TT loads of walnut logs to saw today.  Need 2 to 3  tt loads of pine for orders and I am already behind and do not have the cash to stoke the stove and make it hotter.  Grade lumber is creaping up and is in the $750 mbdft range for FAS oak.  Ties are down in price from last years high but holding good.  Most have dropped their quotas and take all you got.

[ellmoe]

 I doubt that freight will allow us to receive favorable pricing either. Also (P1S). they will not accept oak from Florida, I guess their customer is not a Christ fan. ;D My biggest issue is the side wood as we do not have a grade market to sell to. If something comes of it I'll let you know P1S as they want rail car quantities.

   Arky, we have gotten very busy this past several weeks also. Not to many mills coming up to bat down here anymore.

Mark

[Papa1stuff]

Guess they wouldn't want my wood ,as it is mostly oak and I might have to work a little overtime to  get a rail car load ;D :(

[Banjo picker]

I had a tie buyer from Thompson Tie call me a couple of months ago wanting trailer truck loads....His name is Anthony Brewer and the number is 931-676-7990....He got my number from another customer of mine....I am in North Miss ...I don't know where he is from....If you can load out a trailer truck at less than premium price ..call him....Tim

[Ron Wenrich]

We've been selling ties all along.  There have been no quotas, and they recently started to take switch ties in all lengths.  They even want those long ties that Bibbyman cuts, instead of the 8'6" tie.  But, they have gotten a little tougher on grade and prices are off somewhat.  They used to take an 8' tie, but that market has dried up.

The sawmill supply guy didn't stop during his normal stop early in the month.  When asked why, he said it was an Amish holiday and all the mills on his stop were closed.  I asked about the other mills, and he said they're all closed.  Between the loss of mills and loggers, things will be getting interesting as the markets heat up.  Pallet stock is in high demand.

[BBK]

AMTRAK and CSX both have huge maintanance programs getting started. They are being funded with the AARA (stimulus money from the Feds).  While the urban switch yards and stations are now using concrete and composit ties there should be an increased demand for wood ties by this summer. The company I work for (so I can afford to keep the farm) does this type of work and AMTRAK especially has several large track maintenance projects listed for bids starting in June. The projects run from Maine through the mid atlantic to Florida. Good luck to you guys. The mill and I are both too old and crotchety to saw anymore so I will watch the show instead of trying to play.

[Bibbyman]

We're just a gnat on the back of an elephant it the total RR tie market. But the Koppers tie buyer called us the other day asking if we had any ties cut.  The reason given was that he was going to be out for a few days and didn't want to miss paying us.

This recent heavy rain right through the middle of the oak RR tie production country is going to slow down logging.  We have some RR tie logs on hand right now but have other orders to work on.

[stonebroke]

I think that the problem that tie buyers have is that no one sets up a mill just for railroad ties. They are just a byproduct. Even the largest hardwood mills are only going to have a few TT loads a day. Instead of the train load of framing lumber that come out of some mills. So They have to go around to everybody and buy all different quantities.

Just my two cents

Stonebroke

[Old Hilly]

There used to be a good market for railway sleepers (cross ties) around this part of the world 10 years ago but most of the rail corporations have switched to concrete sleepers. There used to be a couple of dozen sleeper cutters working in my area, now there are none.
Same goes for power pole cross-arms and bridge girders. The cross-arms are galvanised steel and the bridges are concrete and steel. :(
Dennis.

[WH_Conley]

What I have got into here is that the price of logs has come up just enough that no one will sort out tie logs. Cants are going up and so is pulp. They are going to have to raise the price on ties if they want any. 43 cents a bdft as a tie, 35 cents as a cant, don't have to worry about any culls.

[Rlnelson]

Do you know anyone else Anthony is not buying any right now? I'm in north Alabama

[opticsguy]

I am a little confused abut ties.  Have traveled overseas to China several times, there is "not" one wooden tie in all of the extensive RR across the country, all are reinforced concrete.  I wonder why we are still using wood?   Of course I greatly support all you great tie makers........ just curious.

[killamplanes]

Well everywhere is different but here tie logs start at 50cents bdft and that means even a 100 bdft log. The problem for a mill is to find a market for the side lumber and that means a bunch of side lumber. I have always had problems on this ties are a given, side lumber is difficult. Expecially if u have to put them in 2x4 or somethin for the pallet market.   And anyone creating ties knows the side lumber pile gets deep quick.  To be competitive you have to be on ur game to get top money for all grades of side lumber. I sellable my good grade tie logs only saw my low grade. I do my own logging and still can't justify my mill to cut g [d tie logs other mills have better markets. But they also have higher production. But I know my place in this rat race and i'm fine with that...