Creosote Council Blog
In Brief: The Development of Railways and Creosote-Treated Crossties
Crosstie wood preservation methods have been vital to the development of railway transportation, infrastructure, and supply chains around the world. This timeline illustrates the role that coal-tar creosote and other wood preservatives have played in economic development through the years. For a more complete description of this history, visit our page, Timeline: A History of Creosote Wood Preservation. "Kyanizing" in the Early 1800s In 1832, John Howard Kyan patented the first popular wood...
What Is Coal-Tar Creosote Used in Wooden Infrastructure?
“Creosote” Used in Wood Preservation, Explained In the United States, the term “creosote” is pretty confusing. There are many substances referred to as “creosote,” which makes it hard to figure out which type has been used for over a hundred years to preserve wood infrastructure - notably, wood crossties that support railroad tracks. Sometimes the type of creosote used in wood preservation is called “coal-tar creosote” to indicate that it’s formed by burning coal. Another common description,...
Railways and Crossties Connect Baseball and Fruit to America
By the early 20th century, a shared national identity was emerging in America. Fresh fruit and baseball would become a part of this new reality, fueled by the railroads and crossties that increasingly connected Florida to the rest of the nation. In the first half of the 19th century, commodities and experiences in the United States were localized, varying greatly from town to town and state to state. But localization was not to last, as newly minted railroads and their creosote-treated ties...
Coal-tar Creosote Puts Trees to Work, Bringing Energy and the Internet to Millions
Believe it or not, there is an internet meme about utility poles. It “went viral” in 2018 because it was both funny and thought-provoking. It was just a thought posted in a Reddit forum, lacking any visuals: “Telephone poles are trees that cleaned up and got a job.” It has received over 40 thousand up-votes, the Reddit equivalent of “likes”. And what a job they do! To think that people found a way to capitalize on all the time and energy trees have already spent becoming large...
New Jersey’s “Ghost Tracks” Crossties Tell the Story of America’s First Railroads
Every good “ghost story” tells the life story of the person whose soul is stuck between this life and the after-life. The audience learns his or her trials and tribulations, and usually what “unresolved issues” are keeping the spirit circling its childhood home. The best stories actually help the ghost right its wrongs or otherwise find closure, allowing it to graduate to a peaceful repose. New Jersey: The Land of North America’s First Railroad The “Ghost Tracks” of New Jersey’s Cape May...