Use "crosstie" in a sentence

1. the crossties, its heels dragging in the boilers snort, its glass traction leaving the rail in shakes

2. The engineering corps was working like mad, repairing the line, but it would take some time because the Yankees had torn up the crossties, made bonfires of them, laid the wrenched-up rails across them until they were red hot and then twisted them around telegraph poles until they looked like giant corkscrews