my train track anvil

[deejaaa]

friend and i traded for some light welding. received it just like this. it's about 12" long.
will be a welcome addition to the shop.






another friend is giving me a 12" piece of track that hasn't been worked yet.

 

[Hundojoe]

Please let me be the first to say......YOU ****! That thing is pretty sweet, but it looks dangerous, you should probably give it to me

 

[lotsoftools]

Nice score. I think you'll be surprised at how much you use it. I know I was when I got mine.

 

[deejaaa]

i like dangerous! that's why i weld in sandles.
whomever made it spent some time doing it just the way i wanted.....many years ago.

 

[deejaaa]

i've wanted one of these for so long. that's how i found this forum. looking and reading about track anvils.

 

[marty_p]

Great score, deejaaa!

I inherited one from my father a couple of years ago and I love it. It's probably 40 years old, about 16" long, and we banged on so many projects together on that heavy metal.

Here it is, with a restoration forthcoming...

 

[dumper]

someone has some serious skills there! I cut a straight piece of track, thinking of making it somewhat anvil shaped, but gave up...too much work, without the right tools and techniques. A straight cut piece is nice to have, anyways...

 

[wnstwolf]

Very nice indeed

A few years back these came up as a topic and I was able to convince a RR worker in my area for a piece of rail. Once he knew I was not heading to the scrap yard he chopped off a 2’ section. But like dumper mine has little design.
On the other hand unless you don’t want that tied to your ankle and you thrown off a dock get it off your wife’s granite countertop. Man my wife will hit me for your actions…

 

[jherm]

pretty sweet little anvil. I'm still looking for a piece around here.

 

[sberry]

It seems I used to have one but wouldn't use it much if I did.

 

[Jerriffic]

It's art, great patina. The patina almost matches the countertop. I have one somewhere in the garage my dad gave me.

 

[Davefr]

I think train tracks are better then real anvils for all around beating. They don't seem as susceptable to edge chipping. Would you rather risk damage to a $400+ Peter Wright anvil or a $20 chunk of scrap train track.

 

[MScott]

Very nice indeed
On the other hand unless you don’t want that tied to your ankle and you thrown off a dock get it off your wife’s granite countertop. Man my wife will hit me for your actions…

Don't think that is real granite. Notice the black line around the corner joint...granite doesn't have that. Appears that is a granite-look Formica counter top. Your wife can relax.

 

[deejaaa]

Don't think that is real granite.........

good eye!

.........get it off your wife’s granite countertop. Man my wife will hit me for your actions…

my wife puts with a lot more than i realize. she saw it there and laughed saying "what's he up to now....".
i will knock the top crust off with a stainless wire wheel but leave the rest. maybe a stand also, bench is not that HD.

 

[Exceller8]

I think train tracks are better then real anvils for all around beating. They don't seem as susceptable to edge chipping. Would you rather risk damage to a $400+ Peter Wright anvil or a $20 chunk of scrap train track.

You wouldn't want to beat on a Peter Wright anvil 'cold' anyway. I love the few RR anvils that I own. I have a 4' on my outside workbench but that doesn't get used too often. It's mainly used to hold things down.

 

[rockinacummins]

You ****.

That is all.

 

[billspit]

I've got a nice piece of old rail just waiting for me to figure out how to shape it.

 

[ZRX61]

 

[Exceller8]

That is just too cool! What is the story on that one?

 

[ZRX61]

That is just too cool! What is the story on that one?

Was at a friends place one day & he just handed it to me. I think he found it at a yard sale. Can't see it in the photo, but it's really pitted.

 

[Exceller8]

Was at a friends place one day & he just handed it to me. I think he found it at a yard sale. Can't see it in the photo, but it's really pitted.

Still very cool! I wonder what track that small is used for? I'd love to find a piece that size.

 

[MScott]

Was at a friends place one day & he just handed it to me. I think he found it at a yard sale. Can't see it in the photo, but it's really pitted.

My uncle used to own a general store and had a feed store that used a tiny rail line like that. There was a cart that he would put bags of feed on and then wheel them to the front of the store where they could be unloaded. The feed store burned and I have no idea what happened to the track.

 

[Ross/Kzoo]

My question is, where do get an 12-18" section of track? I've been looking for the last 2 months and pretty much come up dry.

 

[Exceller8]

My question is, where do get an 12-18" section of track? I've been looking for the last 2 months and pretty much come up dry.

Around here I just ask the guys at the scrap yard. They're not supposed to sell them but they do.

 

[deejaaa]

my son was working contract for the railroad and told me about all the stuff around the yards he worked at. problem was, all the jobs he worked were in other states. all i could do was just say "oh h*ll".

 

[Fyrme]

My question is, where do get an 12-18" section of track? I've been looking for the last 2 months and pretty much come up dry.

We were out on a grass fire the other day down by the tracks. We had to walk 1/2 mile down the tracks to get access. I must have walked passed 5000' of used track laying next to the rails from the last re-track they did. I've been wondering how to go about asking the RR on how to get a 40' section of it.

 

[A**holes Garage]

One of my friends is a rail contractor, takes out and installs miles of rail every year. He gave me a few pieces of rail but trying to figure out a way to cut it down to a decent size and shape. Torch wouldn't touch it, angle head with cut off blade, etc.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

Lionel standard guage?

 

[elronin]

We were out on a grass fire the other day down by the tracks. We had to walk 1/2 mile down the tracks to get access. I must have walked passed 5000' of used track laying next to the rails from the last re-track they did. I've been wondering how to go about asking the RR on how to get a 40' section of it.

Ask them, because if you think they just left it there and take one you could get arrested. The rail road owns the tracks and a good 50 feet of land on both sides of the track. Down her in Miami they normally get piles of trash pilled on the tracks so they can stop the trains and break into the containers. No one really messes with the tracks down here. Make's me want to take a peice of track on an abandond old spur line like they did in the movie October Sky SCENE ... maybe not.

 

[mtesh73]

friend and i traded for some light welding. received it just like this. it's about 12" long.
will be a welcome addition to the shop.






another friend is giving me a 12" piece of track that hasn't been worked yet.

I think train tracks are better then real anvils for all around beating. They don't seem as susceptable to edge chipping. Would you rather risk damage to a $400+ Peter Wright anvil or a $20 chunk of scrap train track.

great set of anvils gents. quick question, how are you cutting and shaping these? 6" angle grinder or torch? i would love to make one of these.

i figure if i hack a one foot section out of the track the train might just roll right over it........just kidding.

 

[MScott]

My question is, where do get an 12-18" section of track? I've been looking for the last 2 months and pretty much come up dry.

I found mine in a scrap metal yard. I was looking for some 6" steel beam to imbed in my garage floor as an anchor, when I saw a pile of track pieces that must have had 50 or more chunks ranging from 2' to 5' in length. I grabbed a couple of them and paid scrap price. I know some say they can't legally sell these, but there was certainly no attempt to hide them. They were right in the open. YMMV.

 

[bmwe0692]

Any grain elevators around?
They are always derailing cars, by the r-r or the elevators themselves. After they do derail, there should be bent and/or damaged rails, laying around. Plus, there also should be straight replacement rail, 39' with 2 bolt holes on each end. You might have to pay a very hefty price for those.
OR
Is there a railroad salvage yard around? They buy old lines and save everything, to resell to the elevators for repairs.
OR find a buddy that knows someone, who works for a rail-road that can get you a piece.

T.J.

 

[deejaaa]

know this is an old post but got the shop cleaned out a month ago, been lazy. worked on the anvil to give it a little better shape. will add pics when I can.
a question asked: how do you cut/shape these? mine was cut with oxy when I got it. I used a grinder to further shape, a flapper wheel to smooth and finally 200 grit to finish it off. will prime/paint black when done.

 

[deejaaa]

here's a few pics. all that's left is paint.






left the patina intact. all i had to work with was a belt sander, 4.5 grinder, palm sander and my hands. tried to get the long part flat and the horn curved.

 

[lotsoftools]

great set of anvils gents. quick question, how are you cutting and shaping these? 6" angle grinder or torch? i would love to make one of these.

i figure if i hack a one foot section out of the track the train might just roll right over it........just kidding.

When I was making them, I would use a good hole saw to make the rounds in the web. Then make somewhat straight cuts with the porta-band. Then I would clean it up with the 4.5" grinder using grinding rocks and flap wheels. The last step was with a wire wheel to give it the right finish.

 

[ZRX61]

Came out great. I used black hammertone paint on mine

here's a few pics. all that's left is paint.




left the patina intact. all i had to work with was a belt sander, 4.5 grinder, palm sander and my hands. tried to get the long part flat and the horn curved.

 

[RossABQ]

... Would you rather risk damage to a $400+ Peter Wright anvil or a $20 chunk of scrap train track.

...

I wish it were a $20 piece of track! Around here they get $40 - $50 a foot, and pretty hard to find.

From what I've heard, the RR's won't sell any because that way any that turns up is known to be stolen from them.

 

[Soslow]

I think train tracks are better then real anvils for all around beating. They don't seem as susceptable to edge chipping. Would you rather risk damage to a $400+ Peter Wright anvil or a $20 chunk of scrap train track.

How did you shape the nose on that piece of track?

 

[Cyberbear]

Track anvils are great all purpose tools that are almost indestructible. I have several in various sizes and enjoy collecting them as everyone is different and expresses the personality of whoever made them. They used to be cheap on ebay, but no more since becoming so popular over time.

 

[keelan]

As a kid I spent a lot of time at my dad's train track anvil. I would take my Tonka trucks and flatten the sheet metal out until it looked like someone grabbed it out of the blanking press at the Tonka factory.