If you want to save a bit of money and simplify the job, consider using railroad ties to create the retaining wall. Railroad ties could cost three to four times less per square foot compared to stone.

Work crews grind up railroad ties near a business park and neighborhood in North Lawndale. Neighbors complain about the odors and the dust. Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times Share Wilfred Dowdell ...

Railroad ties are typically coated with creosote, a chemical that the federal government says is linked to cancers, eye damage and other health issues — but which can also help protect wood from ...