How much does railroad track cost??

[hockey88fan]

There's a rail scrap yard close by, they chop up old track and melt it down. I wonder if I could just go in there and buy a piece, there's literally thousands of pieces of track waiting to be chopped up.

 

[Fordman7795]

110 lbs x .80 per lb = 88.00 at that price 50.00 bucks is a real deal.

Can we get the address of the place buying iron for .80 a pound? Around here 110 lbs is under $13 is scrap weight.

 

[Alchymist]

Ya can't make an anvil from rr rail! You can make an ASO. Just check out some of the forging forums! (Just a FYI for all you purists).

 

[Trey T]

For $50 bucks, ask the guy to cut it into usable length for your project.

 

[rmerina]

I have a 3' length that was left by some previous renters. How do I cut the darn thing to make it a more usable length?

You could use a bandsaw similar to what is used in a steel shop. We generally use a 16" gas power cut-off saw with an abrasive blade and a clamp that goes on the rail.

 

[rmerina]

And as a contractor authorized to repair track you should not have any problem. The theft of material now is unreal. Recently in northern NY we had over four thousand track anchors removed from a mainline.

True - we actually just removed about 3 miles worth of very old Trolley Track here in Portland, OR throughout the downtown area, just to install NEW tracks for the Streetcar. Some of that old rail was very neat, and has made several awesome paperweights.

People steal anything - there is a very large bronze statue of an Elk in Downtown Portland - some of the local meth freaks cut off part of it and tried to turn it in for scrap. Luckily the people at the scrap yard were dilligent and called police.

This all has me thinking though...what are the going rates for a RR anvil?

--Rick

 

[iajonesy]

You might want to think long and hard before walking the tracks and picking up scrap anything. Trespassing on RR ROW is now a violation of the Homeland Security Act and therefor a Federal Crime. I know of a FRN (******* Railroad nut) that parks his car near the ROW for hours on end and he has been removed more than once and he was only watching trains go by. The UP is deadly serious about keeping folks off the property. Just a little heads up for everyone.

Mike

 

[Rye425]

You might want to think long and hard before walking the tracks and picking up scrap anything. Trespassing on RR ROW is now a violation of the Homeland Security Act and therefor a Federal Crime. I know of a FRN (******* Railroad nut) that parks his car near the ROW for hours on end and he has been removed more than once and he was only watching trains go by. The UP is deadly serious about keeping folks off the property. Just a little heads up for everyone.

Mike

Wow. I'd probably have to serve a life sentence. Been picking up spikes and plates from the tracks by my house since I was 10

 

[2CRUZ]

Here's one thing I can tell ya...if you're walking the tracks and find an 18" long piece of track laying there,and it's about a mile and a half back to the truck,think long and hard about if you REALLY need that thing....that **** is HEAVY....but I have used it as an anvil about 3 times in the five years that I've had it....

Now thats funny!! Sounds like something I would do. HA!

 

[bmwe0692]

As previously stated the Union Pacific is very serious on trespassers. At every safety meeting and job briefing,we are constantly told to report any activity.

For 2 and 1/2 years I was one of the flag men on the new concrete bridge, that the UP built over the Des Moines river in Iowa.
We were always getting people who just wanted to "LOOK". Gravel road ran under the old bridge. (now dead end) Didn't matter, they were told to leave.

On the other subject of rail the heavier rail is head hardened. Rail from 133-141# would make a perfect anvil. Cut the 3' in half and use for an anvil. Turn the base up on the other piece for a flat surface to beat things flat.

Wear ear plugs!!! After beating on it for a while your ears "WILL" ring.

T.J.
27 years on the old Chicago and NorthWestern and 12 on the UP

 

[truckin23]

Back in the late 60's early 70's I made foot pegs and cromed them out of spikes for rigid harley choppers almost impossable for your boot to vibrate past the end use to pick them up next to the tracks in Frisco times sure have changed

 

[seagravedriver]

In my experience, that is absolutely false. The scrappers will take anything and they don't have to take names or receipts until a certain dollar figure is reached. What they do here is pay you the first 20 bucks or so in cash and then a check for the remainder so as to track the transaction.

The scrappers will accept water meters, water meter lids, headstones, wire (of course) etc. These things can be obviously stolen but the scrapper is a junkyard dog and needs his drug money too.

Thats odd, I live in the South Puget Sound area as well. I took a bunch of scrap to a place in Tacoma. I had around 30 pounds of aluminum, along with iron, and they would only give me a small fraction (like ten bucks), and the rest would be sent to my address in the form of a check. They took my ID and veh. license number as well. They were really giving a couple of guys with wire the once over while I was waiting as well. Maybe I was just at the right place.

 

[K13]

Thats odd, I live in the South Puget Sound area as well. I took a bunch of scrap to a place in Tacoma. I had around 30 pounds of aluminum, along with iron, and they would only give me a small fraction (like ten bucks), and the rest would be sent to my address in the form of a check. They took my ID and veh. license number as well. They were really giving a couple of guys with wire the once over while I was waiting as well. Maybe I was just at the right place.

I think there is some disconnect about who Highbeam and everyone else are talking about. It sounds like he is talking about the guys who drive around grabbing up any scrap they can find and everyone else is talking about legitimate scrap yards.

 

[Mr.N]

For $50 bucks, ask the guy to cut it into usable length for your project.

For $45 bucks you can get a HF Anvil
http://www.harborfreight.com/55-lb-anvil-806.html