First. I know that there are legal and illegal ways to get railroad spikes. I know that the railroad scraps their own or contracts it out. I also know that there are people who say "who cares" and others who are really worried about using spikes not acquired in a legal manner.

Questions:
1) Has anyone ever had problems selling railroad spikes? Has anyone ever had someone from a rail road question them?

2) Has anyone ever anecdotally heard of anyone getting into trouble for selling rail road spikes?

I am wanting to sell some pieces made from railroad spikes. Not all of them are forged some are spikes just welded together. very easy to recognise what they are. It will be in a large craft show setting. I do not want to get into issues with trying to verify where every rail road spike I have comes from.

Thanks,
Winston

A few weeks ago I stopped by a railroad and talked to a workman about legally aquiring a piece of rail. He told me that a fellow took a piece last year and was prosecuted and warned me not to pick any up. He did give me a number I could call to inquire.

Mark

I have no idea what the proper answers to your inquiries might be...but by asking, you have revealed a guilty conscience...do what you think is best...

My BBQ and garden tools are mostly made from spikes. You can buy them new from Mcmaster-carr. A friends father in law found a keg of new HC spikes in his barn and gave them to me. Last year I lucked out and sold a couple art pieces to a train engineer. I showed him some utensils I made from spikes, the rest of the year he would show up at my shop once a week with a box of spikes he got out of the scrap box at the train yard. There are integris ways to get spikes, just don't pick them from the right-of-way. I've sold a pile of spike axes, bbq tools, etc, never got asked about how I got them. I would never get them from the right of way, that's asking for trouble.

My neighbor gave me a few that were in his retaining wall that he tore down before it fell. I helped him move brick to build the new wall. I am told that the place that old ties are dumped is a great place to legally obtain spikes. Also if you help load ties at the landscaper, they let you keep spikes for your labor.

Phil

As long as you do not get your spike's out of the tracks I would think your fine there is a lot of other ways to get them. I can see why they don't want you pulling them from the tracks as I think they help hold them together.

go on ebay there are all kinds of rr spikes for sale seems like they are getting away with it no problem

I heard it was a fed offence to pick them up from the ground along the track. Harmer Steel Products Company here is the web site of a company that sells them. So you should beable to purchase them.

I heard it was a fed offence to pick them up from the ground along the track. Harmer Steel Products Company here is the web site of a company that sells them. So you should beable to purchase them.

Since 9/11, just being on the tracks or right of way is considered a terrorist threat.

I've bought a few spikes at garage sales and had spikes given to me. Made a couple of hawks and several knives and sold them on ebay without anybody giving me any grief. I would certainly NOT pick them up along the tracks.

There are a number of rail supply houses online.. Like this site: Railroad Track Material - turnouts, switches, switch points, railroad spikes, relay rails

So you could (or could have, as far as anyone knows) buy your spikes, rail, etc from them.

My wife and I have a time share on Cape Cod. This year we decided to take the old Cape Cod Railroad scenic lunch train. While we were waiting to buy tickets we looked at the souvenirs they were selling. They were selling old railroad spikes that were spray painted gold for 5 bucks.
That's one way for the RR to turn them around! I can't imagine who would buy them though. P.S. I don't recommend the lunch.

i have pick a few up long ago on the old tracks behind the cop shop. its just embankment no more rails, made one into a mantle piece knife at the local muesum when i volunteered, had lots of interest but no one ever asked about where it came from

Thanks for the answers.

I was not worried about where I got mine, but in being able to prove where they all came from. I have gotten them from many sources. I was just wondering if I needed to try and keep up with documentation of where every spike came from. Even if I had a legit receipt how would they know if it is for 'x' spike? It appears that while it is illegal to steel spikes they do not try and prosecute such petty theft when it would be impossible to prove whether they were legal or illegal unless you were caught in the act.