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In the UK, concrete sleepers (ties) have been used extensively since the 1940s (originally as a result of wartime timber shortages but later because of advantages of durability and greater weight to hold continuous welded rail in place. Most have been the monoblock type (i.e. one long concrete block with two rail fixings) but in recent years there have been trials with the type with two concrete blocks with a steel tie-rod between which is more usual in some countries in Continental Europe. <br />The Kent & East Sussex museum railway in England has used quite a lot of concrete sleepers for relaying out of sight of stations - many of them second-hand ones designed for use with rail chairs and bullhead rail (traditional British permanent way in the old days). These must be at least 40 or 50 years old and still in very adequate condition for our relatively low speeds - they were available cheaply as contractors lifting old tracks would otherwise have to have paid to dump them somewhere. <br />When the line was taken over for preservation there were some sections with steel sleepers - as I understand it these had been lifted from the disused Elham Valley line and used to rehabilitate the K&ESR as a possible diversionary route in World War 2. All now gone, I think - steel sleepers have an appreciable scrap value, unlike worn-out timber or concrete. <br />One problem of concrete sleepers for amateur track-laying is that they're heavier (250-300 lb) than wood. Two people can lift a wood sleeper but you need mechanical help for concrete!
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