![]() ![]() Hardware accompanying the railroad spike may identify its age When the railroad spike is hammered into the tie the letters or numbers marked into the spike's head will often have been smashed to near-invisibility. High-carbon railroad spikes are also higher in copper than older soft-iron spikes, so you may find them in better condition, with less rust and corrosion. High-carbon or HC railroad spikes will also bear a brand or letters identifying the spike's manufacturer, but you'll often find an H (or perhaps HC) embossed into the spike head a well. Earlier railroad spikes were made of a soft-steel, often marked with a letter or logo that identifies its manufacturer. ![]() Railroad spike metallurgy is another clue to spike age. I find that the term "dog spike" refers to spikes with a head intended to make removal easier by having an offset edge to one side of the spike, but as those are so widely used I'm not sure it's a helpful spike age marker.Īnd I would not assume that just because your railroad spike is a dog-spike, that it's older. Later variations in the Stevens railroad spike included railroad spikes with a shorter head and outwards-facing lugs that eased the removal of the spike during track work - the "dog spike". Rectangular railroad spikes with an offset head: Dog Spikes Our photos above show an example of this unusual detail: wooden railroad tie spikes still visible in these antique railroad ties. It's possible but it would be quite unusual to find an actual wooden railroad spike still intact since we are talking about details from over 150 years ago. It was quickly found that using wooden pegs or spikes to secure the rail plates to railroad ties was not a durable method. ![]() Moderator earliest railroads attempted to use wooden spikes to secure the rails to the ties. I was walking on railroad tracks and I found a wooden railroad spike what was it used for? It looks identical to the metal ones. Reader Question: What was wooden railroad spike used for? These railroad ties are interesting because they sport wooden pegs that tied the railroad rail plates to the ties - as visible in two of the 3 photos, suggesting that they are quite old, but still in use, now forming posts that carry a fence around this horse pasture.Īlthough we don't know when this pasture fence was erected, we do know that the materials used would date from before the 1830s when more durable metal spikes began to be used instead. These vertical fence posts are old railroad ties now repurposed as fencing. These old and rarer to find wooden pegs are still in existence in some places although perhaps being used for a different purpose.Ī horse pasture that borders the Rio Laja near San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato, Mexico, gives us a good example of this. Wooden pegs still at workĪs mentioned above, wooden pegs for use in railroads were replaced wtih stronger, longer lasting metal spikes. As soon as the railroads abandoned conventional nails and wooden pegs (those were found to loosen quickly and badly), say by the 1830s in North America, rectangular spikes with an offset head were common, following the spike design attributed to Stevens. In the case of railroad spikes, these fasteners look pretty much the same since early in the history of railroads. I refer to such as details about head shape, cross section, burr marks, tool marks. The railroad spike itself offers clues about its age, history & how it was made When guessing at the age of a railroad spike, take a look at:ġ. Photo: Railroad spike found behind the Shawnee OK railroad depot, black-coated, with the numbers 19 embossed into the spike head. Separately at NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY we explain that when estimating the age, properties, use, and history of a metal fastener like a nail or a railroad spike, we look at both the fastener itself and its properties and also at the surrounding information that gives some context to a guess at the object's age. Contextual Clues in Dating Railroad Spikes We also provide an ARTICLE INDEX for this topic, or you can try the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX as a quick way to find information you need. This article series describes how contextual clues can help in the identification and age determination of railroad spikes and other nails. Use of contextual clues in the identification of railroad spikes. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website. InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. ![]()
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