I'm still seeking an anvil that I can afford with my ever shrinking budget. I went to a number of scrap yards this weekend but had no success. This disappointment was exacerbated by the fact that I couldn't even get any of them to sell me some scrap.
Later, while driving around I went over some old, out of use railroad track. This got me thinking so I went for a walk alone these old tracks. My few hours of walking paid off. While I found no old sections of rail, I did find a large number of old spikes, some curvy solid steel things, some curvy channel steel things, a few large bolts, and the big prize 3 old tie plates. Two of these plates were around 14"x8" and weigh at least 25# each, the other was a bit smaller. They have nice large flat areas that I think I may use as my makeshift temporary anvil. I'm still trying to figure out how to get the most out these to make something anvil-ish. It would certainly be easy to attach one of these to a wooden base and just use it as is.