Bits & Pieces - Old Parts?

[mbare]

We live in South Carolina. My 8 year old son went for a walk and came back toting these HEAVY "treasures". I believe they are bits and pieces of train track, but am not sure. Can anyone identify the parts?

Top View

Side View

 

[DrewSD]

Looks to me like petty theft.












lol

 

[mbare]

I didn't think anything of the items he collected until we were at a railroad museum last night and I saw the same item hanging on the wall.

The item at the museum was donated and they were trying to identify the wavy piece as well as the spike. I thought the spike was a right-of-way marker, but aren't those usually concrete and very large? The wavy piece does slide onto the bottom of a railroad rail.

 

[mrmoose]

The "Wavy" piece is a clip that goes onto the bottom of the track rail to keep wood ties in place, the big washer is used for bolts at rail connections, and the big, long screw is common on bridges to screw walkway planking to the ties. the round thing, I don't know.

 

[kenw]

Looks to me like petty theft


lol

totally uncalled for.

 

[mrmoose]

There's so much crap laying on the sides of the roadbed-the RR's for the most part could care less if someone grabs a discarded peice here and there-it costs them more just to send a MOW guy out to pick it up!

 

[mbare]

Mr. Moose,

Thank you for replying. I've forwarded your response to Ms. Mary Lehr who is the president of the Charleston chapter of NHRS and also runs the Best Friend Model Train Show (http://bestfriendofcharleston.org/) Due to the rust, I'm assuming this style of "hardware" is no longer used?

We are moving to Japan next week so will be donating our son's "treasure" to her museum at the Citadel Mall. He really wanted to take it with him, but it is just to darn heavy. Or son is infatuated with trains, and especially steamies and the 844. The best news he heard about our move was the Japanese bullet trains were back on line

Thank you again.

M.J. Bare

 

[DrewSD]

totally uncalled for.

It was just a joke, hence the "lol" at the end.

 

[railsnw]

Track Items

The wavy piece is a rail anchor and is for anchoring RAIL not anchoring TIES. As trains apply brakes it is possible to actually move the rail so anchors are placed at specified areas and quantities to control the rail movement. These come in numerous styles.

The lock washer at the bottom is just that, a lock washer from a joint bar bolt that bolts the rail together.

No idea what the short section of pipe is.

Richard Wilkens

 

[railsnw]

Dome Head Spike

The dome head spike is used to fasten wooden planks at a road crossing or maybe railroad motor car setoff to the ties.

Richard Wilkens

 

[LoganTrackdog]

The wavy thing is indeed a rail anchor. This is used to keep ties from shifting due to thermal expansion of the rail and from compression waves cause by heavy traffic. They also help keep the rail in line to avoid thermal misalignments (sun kinks). The long lag bolt is called a "Dome Headed crossing Lag" and is used to build grade crossings when timber panels are used. These are not used much anymore and have been replaced by Cam-Car screw lags. The lock washer is for a track bolt, as stated above. And the round object is a reducer for signal mast.

 

[railsnw]

Rail Anchors Anchor RAIL not TIES

The rail anchor is used to keep rail in place not to keep ties in place.

Richard

 

[LoganTrackdog]

Richard, How many ties have you reset that had no anchors applied around them? There's a reason they "box anchor" each tie, and it ain't to keep the rail in place.

 

[railsnw]

Track Cyclopedia Definition

ANTI-CREEPER (RAIL ANCHOR). A device to prevent the creeping or longitudinal movement of rails in track under traffic. Its function is to hold the rail in a fixed position with reference to the tie. The anticreeper is attached to the rail and either bears against the side of the tie or is spiked to it, thereby transmitting the creeping force to the tie and through it to the ballast.