Railroad track anvil

[jasonmrye]

Once upon a time.......I worked for a machine/fab shop that built machinery for sale. Big stuff. Some of it so big that the carriages rode on RR track. The customer would spec how long of a run they needed and we would weld it together and cut it to length accordingly leaving a regular 6" to 2 1/2' length to go in the (Gasp!) dumpster. This didn't happen every single day, but once every other month or so. If asked, we employees were usually just given a leftover chunk of it. If someone from the outside world had asked, I'm not real sure what they would have done. Maybe there's a large outfit somewhere around you that specializes in the stuff big enough to need RR track to operate on. Good luck!

[ricbor]

Last time I took some scrap metal to the recycling yard (about a year ago), the guys that work there were torch cutting several sticks of rail into more manageable lengths. Didn't think about asking about it at the time, but seems like as good a source as any to try. That was in Sherman, TX, but I'm sure your results will vary.

[buck]

if u can get it the realy goo stuff is the shipyard rail crane rail, its really wide and thick, about idk 90-80 lbs per foot

[Cope]

Some thirty five years ago one of my customers was a major railroad. My contact person came to my office one day and gave me a piece of rail/anvil. He had one of the shop guys taper one end with a cutting torch. It's about 18-20 inches long. I need to weigh it some time.

[xymotic]

+1 on the ask your recycler. The place I use has a load of it sitting out front and I think they are sorta stuck with it unable to sell it to their own wholesale buyers for the same reasons we can't. But I wouldn't be surprised if they gave you some. might have to bring a portaband though, most places are a bit jumpy about acetylene

[David Schwartz]

These same sized rails were also installed on electric overhead crane runways in the steel industry circa 1980's. When the expected loads exceeded the 139 lb rail system capacity the runway rails were paralled with a seconded 139lb rail on each side for a total of 4 rails. Some of these overhead cranes had a total of 32 wheels. These heavy loads were mainly on the melt shop ladle cranes and some slab yard cranes. I wish I had had the forsite then to aquire a 18" section of 139lb rail back in the day when it was easy to come by for me.

[LESTER MARTIN JR.]

In Joplin Missouri ( about 5 miles from where I live ) there happens to be a railroad salvage ( just a small one ) they will sell you just about any length you want of R.R.Rail and they will cut it to length ( for a small fee ). They sell it by the pound. The most of the R.R. salvage is just cut up, loaded onto rail cars and shipped of to a foundry to be made into new rails.

[jasonmrye]

Are they part of a network of salvage yards working with the railroad companies? I'm wondering because that would mean that there would be more of them out there. Joplin is too far to drive for me! (NW Alabama)

[madokie]

a friend of mine made one of these up so he could put in back of his truck and have it on a job site if he thought he might need it . it did work ok for him, but u need some way to mount on back of truck,maybe attach to trailer hitch,anyway whenever he has left over welding rods he burns um up on the side and corners of his,says more weight and mass are needed,

[sossol]

a friend of mine made one of these up so he could put in back of his truck and have it on a job site if he thought he might need it . it did work ok for him, but u need some way to mount on back of truck,maybe attach to trailer hitch,anyway whenever he has left over welding rods he burns um up on the side and corners of his,says more weight and mass are needed,

That's a good idea. I inherited a few boxes of antique welding rod from my dad. I wouldn't trust them for any safety-related welds, but they may be fine for adding mass.