Short Walk Through Time

[TARNATION !!!]

Tonight's hike was mostly for CHARLIE and KYRA. I had an annoying small wart hit with liquid nitrogen today. It is on the inside of my right little toe. It had been causing enough discomfort and I had not had any success with home remedies, so off to the doc.

Well, that was interesting. I walked into the office and hobbled out. I almost gave up on the dog hike but two inquiring faces made it clear that option was not in the cards. So, I hobbled out to the rolling kennel and drove to a favorite spot along a seldom used rail line. In a good year, we would be seeing huns but it was so wet for so long around here, I have yet to see one.

When they got the release word, they were out like a shot and running hard for that first burn of pent-up energy. I started hobbling down the line and they investigated all the cover along the old right of way. Normally, my eyes are scanning the skies or the nearby habitat. Seldom do I stare at my feet but today, most of the time I was checking footing to ensure my right foot could be placed flat and not end up rolling which was more than slightly painful. Now we have hiked that line since 1997 and today I got a short lesson on rails, ties, spikes and associated hardware.

I noticed a nail approximately centered between the rails in the middle of a tie. Then I started noticing them more and more. Not on every tie but every once in a while. The nail heads had two stamped digits. I saw 44 45 47 59 60 63 and 67. I surmised those to be years 1944 etc, but I don't know. Then I noticed the rail plate that is spiked to the tie. Most all of them showed 1955. I had hobbled about 1/2 mile and decided I'd be well advised to head back sooner than later. The pups came by a couple times to see why I was lagging behind but they didn't hang around for more than a pat on the head and a rub of the ears.

The sunlight was hitting the rails at a very acute angle, illuminating the inner portion of the rail. I learned that each rail is dated several times along its length. Also the steel maker is shown and a "pound" rating. I saw Algoma steel and Gary (Indiana I presume) and all were 85 pounds - not sure what that means but was wondering if it is 85 pounds/foot of rail???

Anybody into railroading that can shed further light on the tie nails and the 85 pound rails??

The years astounded me. Got me thinking that there will be Parkers for every one that I saw and then got me thinking it would make a neat image to have a corresponding year Parker with the SN and rail date clearly visible and maybe a nice rooster. Might try to accomplish that some day.

Anyway, the years in my 1/2 mile return hobble included 1908 1909 1910 1912 1914 1919 1923 and 1927. At a minimum, my little hike took me through more than a century of steel products.

The things you see when you stare at your feet. Didn't find any spare change though. (Might if I check the recliner now)

Cheers,
Jack

[10 bore]

i know pete lester could tell you all about the date nails and rail weights.

[J.B. Books]

I used to going hiking with my daughter when she was little on some abandoned lines (and a few active) of the old Boston & Maine RR. We use to look for and collect date nails in the ties. Date nails were used to date the age of wooden ties so that various methods of wood preservation could be determined. The B&M stopped using date nails in the 60's. I can't recall the oldest one I found, definitely have some from the 20's, maybe a few from the teens.

I have not seen a date spike in a tie plate so that may be a unique practice on the RR that ran through your area.

The poundage on the rail is the weight per yard. 85lb is light rail by todays standards. As trains got bigger rail weight got heavier. Lighter rails is still used on sidings and yards where trains are moving slow. I think the standard wieght today on continous welded rail is 139lb. Todays trains can still operate on 85lb rail but they will be going slow.

Along with the Steel Company name you will often see month and year the steel rail was produced. Older rail might be 10 1923 for October 1923 and newer rail might be I I I I 1999for April 1999.

In 2001 the new owners of the B&M mainline completely replaced the rails, most ties and added more stone to the entire line from Boston to Portland Maine. This was done to allow for high speed Amtrak service, 79mph. I was surprised to find a tie in the mainline after this was done with 1925 date. Like our guns the nail was in interesting time traveler to me.

It will be a sad day when we see rails stamped "Bejing Steel and Foundry I I I I I 2011"

[TARNATION !!!]

Thanks Pete: Interesting info. To clarify, the rail plate itself had the molded date on it. I did see the vertical month codes I I I I ...... I'll have to have another look for a numeric month code. Also interesting about the pounds/yard figure and that 85 is considered light today and a train would not be moving very fast on those rails. I have only witnessed a couple trains travelling that line. Speed was not a factor !! The first one was heard long before seen. It was crawling along. I first heard the "whistle" at some great distance and continued to hear it at fairly long intervals. There is a turn in the line about 5 miles from where we hike. Finally saw the train and thought we better remove ourselves from the right of way. We continued the hike in the stubble field. The train finally rolled by. Had a wave to the engineer and he back. But for the noise, we could have had a short conversation. He was taking cars to an elevator to take on a load of peas. I only know that because the next day, there was a continuous line of split peas in the snow along the rails. I wondered how much food was lost due to a leaking car.

One thing about this forum - there is a wide life experience knowledge base to shed light on many subject areas, including rail tie nails

Cheers,
Jack

[MarketHunter]

One of my fondest railroad memories was a rabbit / squirrel hunt I made with my friend Dennis Marks. Little was I to know that I'd be leaving Southern Illinois shortly afterwards and that we'd only have a handful of hunts together before he passed away a few years later.

We started down the railroad right of way that runs past Marion City Lake at daylight one morning just sort of looking for whatever game we could find. We missed a pair of doves as they crossed us first thing then got into a tree with a few squirrels working acorns and killed three.

After that the country opens up a bit and it's rabbits only till you hit more woods. We kicked and kicked but never moved one, were about to give up and move on to more timber and squirrels when we heard a train coming. We quickly started checking pockets for change like a couple of schoolboys and laid out several pennies and nickles on the tracks. The train passed by slowly and we gave a wave to the engineer then started looking and managed to find several of our coins nice and flattened out. I've still got one of the nickles in my box of keepsakes.


Destry

[TARNATION !!!]

Originally Posted by Pete Lester

...It will be a sad day when we see rails stamped "Bejing Steel and Foundry I I I I I 2011"

You may be predicting the future. We have a Costco close to home. We also have a steel plant that makes various diameter steel pipe from recycled steel (anything but mostly automobiles and rail cars). One day, Costco was having shopping cart corrals installed at several locations in the parking lot. I watched a bit of welding and some painting. I walked by a newly minted corral that had yet to be painted. Clearly imprinted on the steel pipe was "Made in China" Apparently cheaper to bring it in from the opposite side of the planet than a few miles north of the parking lot. Only thinking of the bottom line will be to our societal detriment. But when your competition is utilizing the "cheaper" stuff and your own costs are 3X theirs you either join in or fold. Will be interesting to see how this ultimately plays out. Don't think I will be here to see the end game but it may not be pretty for those who value self-sufficiency.

Cheers???????

Jack