Yep. I was about 13 and my dad told me to build a retaining wall with the big railway timbers (10”x10”x10ft). I spent a half day on it stacking them up even and driving big spikes into them to hold it together.
When he came back at lunch to see how I was doing, he told me it was all wrong - you need to stagger the timbers. I was pissed because he never told me how to do it and now I had to tear it all down and start over again.
“Well, then let this be a good reminder for you in the future. If you’re not sure how to do something - ask for instructions. Don’t just assume you know how to do everything.”
Looking back he probably did it that way (knowing that I would screw up) to teach me a good life lesson. I’m guessing at the age of 13 “I knew everything” - at least more than my “dumb old dad” anyway.
You can use “deadman” type anchors to stabilize a vertical wall as long as it's not too high. Just guessing, this will work for up to about 5-6 or so feet of vertical wall.
1. Back cut the embankment about 4 feet beyond where the foot of the wall is placed.
2. Saw some ties into thirds. These will be the dead man anchors. Also saw several railroad ties in half so the layers of ties will be staggered, like setting bricks in a wall.
3. Lay the bottom row of ties on compacted, leveled soil. Level and square to vertical each tie. Drill two or three pilot holes in each tie to drive a rebar spike into the ground. Use a heavy drill and a sledge hammer or larger mallet.
4. You can start backfilling soil now. Tamp it down. Compact it. Tamp some more.
5. Lay the second row on top of the first. First put in a half length tie. Anchor it to the bottom base with a galvanized spike or rebar like the base is anchored. A spike is easier and a rebar is way stronger. I prefer rebar. Lay a deadman with the long end extending horizontally toward the soil bank and outward end flush to the outer tie face. Anchor this down.
6. Lay the next full length tie down. Leave a 1/4 inch or so gap between the deadman and this tie. This is a weep hole for excessive soil moisture. Repeat this until the layer is extended to your length. Don't worry about end trimming until you get the wall constructed.
7. Backfill a soil layer and compact.
8. That's the strategy. Staggered ties like a brick wall and horizontal deadmen extending into the earth bank. Keys to a stable, long lasting wall are compacting soil and anchoring like a maniac and weep holes to reduce water pressure on the wall. Low moisture soil is the wood wall's friend.
9. Eventually a railroad tie wall will wear out. Wood rot will set in. Depending on soil type and climate, this wall will generally last 15-30 years. YMMV.
10. Why use a wood wail instead of concrete? Cost and esthetics are usually the drivers.