A less brutal job

    
     After replacing 60 railroad ties, I had to relay some of the antique pavers I use in pathways.  As they weigh only eight pounds, it was much easier than laying the 180-pound ties.  I have about 3-4 inches of torpedo sand under the bricks, and I use finer mason sand between the bricks.  I separate the bricks by about a half inch, and the sand level is recessed about a half to three quarters of an inch.  That gives it a three-dimensional appearance, which I prefer.  The bricks are a bit over a hundred years old, and I picked them up for free when a street was being repaved in 1973.