something 18" or so wide? Some contractor may have fabricated one for himself here or there, but I doubt you'll find it at a rental yard. Running a mini-ex is pretty easy. Just assume you'll be slow and get it for the week. After a couple days you'll be looking around your property for holes to dig.

I would say alot of places are good for them, the ties are old and rotten out so theres alot of voids. I know lizards live inside them and i have seen other bugs as well. I really dont want to fill in the cracks with silicone or anything like that as it will just look ugly. At this point new cracks and voids arent too common, unless more of the wood rots and forms new voids and cracks. It appears they nest between the ties, they crawl in about 2' from the soil so i take it they are living in the ties and not the soil. its hard to tell though.

I live in Gainesville, former home to the infamous Koppers plant that made creosote and arsenic treated lumber, mostly utility poles from what I understand. The soil within a 2-mile radius of the former property is so polluted still that no one can plant anything edible in the ground. The most dangerous health-threatening component of creosote is dioxins, which can be released into the air and settle everywhere as dust. Lethal levels of dioxins were found miles away from the Koppers plant site. The statistics on cancer and especially miscarriages within that two-mile radius is unbelievable. If you care anything about your health, don't use creosote treated lumber in your yard, much less in your veggie garden. According to the EPA, it is illegal to use anything treated with creosote in your landscape. http://www.gardensalive.com/product/railroad-ties-are-not-legal-for-home-landscape-use/you_bet_your_garden

I wouldn't be too quick to jump on the bandwagon that if recently purchased they are just "landscape timbers" and not railroad ties. Home Depot and other home improvement stores DO sell used railroad ties (location dependent). In fact, HD advertises theirs specifically as being creosote treated and that they bring "a piece of Americana to your landscape"!! For only $18.97 each! LOL!! Not something I would recommend......they will continue to leach creosote forever until they rot, which can be a very long time. And the leachate will be sticky and gummy, just as one would expect of creosote. And they smell in hot weather - a strong chemical aroma similar to petroleum.