Rail & Heavy Constructional Timber

M.H. Southern have been supplying long, large and specialist timbers to the Rail & Construction Industry for over 100 years, including processing, drilling and milling to meet specifications.

FSC®/PEFC Certified Species

Douglas Fir Timber
Douglas Fir
(Pacific Coast / Home Grown)
This is a softwood of good strength and durability and is available in merchantable and clear grades. Large sections lend themselves to heavy constructional use, while smaller kiln-dried, clear sections work well in both internal and external joinery applications.
Ekki Timber
Ekki
(also known as Azobe)
This species grows predominantly in West Africa. The trees are fairly large, reaching heights of between 30 – 45m, with a trunk diameter of 1.5 – 1.8m. Because of its large size, the timber is available in bigger cuts, which is perfect for Rail longitudinal waybeams. Ekki is also often used for beach groynes, posts & boards for sea defence. The sapwood of Ekki is a vibrant pink, whilst the heartwood has a dark red/brown hue with a beautiful grain, making it a popular choice for projects with an aesthetic purpose.
Opepe
(also known as Bilinga)
Grown across many parts of Africa, the trees can be up to 50m tall and 2m in diameter. This makes it possible to to achieve large planks of around 10 – 12m in length. It is one of the most durable, hard wearing timbers available and is relatively easy to work with for such a hardy timber. Opepe is widely used in heavy construction applications and in marine and jetty work.

Case Studies

We have machined and supplied timber for important infrastructure projects in many locations. Take a look at how we have helped the industry in recent years.
Durham

Durham University Maiden Castle Footbridge

Project completed:
April 2024

Timber used:
FSC Certified Ekki

Details:
M.H. Southern & Co. Ltd. square dressed the 75 x 150 to finish 63 x 145 and profiled to sketch the 75 x 85 with a chamfer edge. The timber was for a footbridge and imperative it was dimensionally consistent in finished size. All lengths were cross-cut to exact length.

Scottish Highlands

Rannoch Viaduct, Rannoch Moor

Project completed:
March 2024

Timber used:
FSC Certified Ekki

Details:
This project on the 191m Viaduct saw 50 life-expired softwood beams replaced with ‘new Ekki Class 1 beams’ supplied by MHS. The Waybeams are FSC® certified and were sourced and machined to our customer’s specification. The ambitious renovations were completed within 24 Hour working patterns over a 7-day period.

London

Gospel Oak to Barking Line (derailment)

Project completed:
February 2020

Timber used:
FSC Certified Ekki

Details:
23 January 2020, a freight wagon derailed between Leyton Midland Road and Walthamstow Queen’s Road stations, causing extensive damage to more than 2.5 miles (4 km) of track. M.H. Southern machined Longitudinal Waybeam Timbers to spec and delivered in time to meet the urgent requirements to reopen the track.

Marine, Harbour & Sea Defence

For many years, we have found our products and services have grown into sea defence, harbour, port and marine applications. Popular products for sea defence are 75 x 225 / 150 x 225 & 225 x 225 in PEFC Certified Douglas Fir, available in various lengths graded to C24, which is commonly used as Timber Groynes that help slow the erosion of the beaches.

M.H. Southern carry deep stocks and can provide bespoke sizes on request. We also stock Ekki, used for specialist construction projects for Piers, Bridges, Lock Gates as well as Groyne Timbers. Greenheart is often used in Heavy Civils, as well as Opepe as a solution for Marine Construction, Jetties, and Bridges.

We welcome your Rail & Heavy Constructional Timber enquiries.
Please call us on 0191 489 8231 or email sales@mhsouthern.co.uk.

Click here to download our Rail & Heavy Constructional Timber Brochure.