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The average concrete sleeper is hardly a prepossessing sight, but don't let their drab looks fool you -- these reinforced concrete slabs can be some of the most useful and versatile building materials, especially when it comes to creating useful structures on your farm. Whether you choose refurbished railway sleepers or concrete sleepers manufactured specifically for construction, consider using your concrete sleepers to build these immensely useful structures on your farm:

Cattle tracks

Cattle tracks are always a useful addition to an outdoor cattle enclosure, giving your cattle a safe, easy path to travel on while they search for new areas in which to sleep, graze or suckle their young. The sure footing provided by these tracks can also help reduce instances of lameness in your herd, and prevents unwanted objects such as broken glass and nails from damaging the hooves of your cattle.

Concrete sleepers are ideal for constructing these useful tracks, and cattle tracks made of sleepers can be seen on farms around the world. They are tremendously easy to lay, with nothing more complicated than a simple aggregate foundation required to hold them in place, and can be a remarkably inexpensive option when compared to other cattle track materials such as poured concrete or asphalt.

Retaining walls

Retaining walls are a necessary addition to many farms, particularly those located in hilly, uneven areas. Concrete sleepers are an excellent material for constructing these walls; they provide the strength required to hold back large quantities of earth, and are durable and weatherproof enough to last for decades with minimal repair work and adjustment required. 

Concrete sleepers are also prized for retaining walls because they can be positioned both vertically and horizontally. Horizontal sleeper walls are laid in a staggered fashion and mortared in place in much the same way as a conventional brick retaining wall, and are especially useful for creating straight, high retaining walls. Vertically arranged sleepers have a lower maximum height threshold, but are extremely quick and simple to construct, and can be curved to avoid boulders, tree stumps and other substantial obstacles.

Troughs

Concrete sleepers may be useful for creating large-scale features such as cattle tracks and retaining walls, but they can be just as useful for making a humble trough. When constructed properly, concrete sleeper troughs are both durable and surprisingly watertight, a perfect combination for watering large livestock such as cattle and horses. They do not release contaminants into the water as some cheaper plastic troughs do, and are weatherproof enough to be permanently left outdoors.