The funniest thing happend

[Jacob]

Did he have a pocket full of rusty spikes?

[fat pete]

ever see the guy on ebay who sells spike knives...engle I think his name is...he claims it is theft to pick up rr spikes from the tracks. you must obtain some kind of salvage license.
i bet it is a distance you must keep from the tracks...we have a bike path that runs right alongside of the rr.

[mcraigl]

Thomas, what "powers"? I've always wondered when I see the BN Police vehicle if he can give me a speeding ticket or not. I always pull a nice wheelie past him to see if he's interested in chasing me and he never does... Just kidding, but I have thought about it. It appears to me that their "powers" are limited to the protection of a railroads property, employees, and passengers and possibly some jurisdiction over interstate / foreign cargo.

From the Code of Federal Reg's

WAIS Document Retrieval

[fat pete]

the way it reads is a rr cop can do anything any cop in the state can do in or around rr property and or matters off the the property. he prolly doesnt need warrants or probable cause on rr property....he can prolly beat the crap outta ya with out as much of a problem as a cop. Same with postal inspectors....they got some pull too

[JohnW]

Some of you guys don't seem to understand the definition of theft.

[Joe H]

Here's a news item from a month or so back.

Chicago train track sabotage suspected - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com


I hope this wasn't any of you guys!

I've walked the track and picked up spikes laying on the ground. There are plenty that have never been driven. I doubt any of us have anything to worry about. Just good 'ole boys picking up "trash".

[psilogen]

I only learned about the legalities after carting off 27 spikes and some odd pieces from a local freight line. I can see where they're coming from, but 1. I do not mess with established hardware, and 2. they ain't coming back for that stuff.

[ThomasPowers]

Well it's sure a lot easier for them if they can say *anybody* with a spike is guilty rather than having to proove that you pulled it. There are several laws done pretty much the same way in places: street signs, manhole covers, etc.

I don't use RR steel for much and the local tracks get a lot of both rail and human traffic as they run due north from down near the border; so generally I get *given* more RR stuff than I can use by other folks.

[solvarr]

the below is quoted from eBay - engelfamilyforgeartisanknives.

As the material quoted is copyrighted I have reworded the quote and deleted the copyrighted material.
Site Admin

He only uses brand new rr spikes that he buys from the manufacturer. He suggests that you always ask the seller to provide documentation that they obtained the spikes lawfully. He says that removal of a stray spike without a salvage permit is theft, and removal of a spike from an active rail is an act of terrorism.

Originally Posted by fat pete

ever see the guy on ebay who sells spike knives...engle I think his name is...he claims it is theft to pick up rr spikes from the tracks. you must obtain some kind of salvage license.
i bet it is a distance you must keep from the tracks...we have a bike path that runs right alongside of the rr.

[fat pete]

I used some spikes for another project I did a while ago....I got them from a rr employee. When he brought the spikes over he said "they aint as easy to get as years ago" he said not to ever try and pick them up.
as far a walking down the tracks....we have tons of rr track...I live near Reading PA ....Reading Railroad ...monopoly .... they put all these trails down the tracks...you can make to Valley Forge on the bike trails...there is lotsa junk laying around at all the old stops....they are working tracks too, right aside of the bike paths...cool ride