i found this 60lbs bit of rr track it was too pitted along the face to work with, so i thought id use it upright.hear it is ready to be cemented in a bucket.i dressed it for knife making,a small muilty tool.the face has been polished to 120 grit.i will have to make a cover for the hot cut when its not in use its sharp!

Nice anvil you have there. I agree with the cover of the hot cut. Anything sharp that sticks up is hazardous. A piece of used garden hose slit lengthwise with a bungie strap may do the trick.
I like that it has many possibilities and mounting it verticle is the way to go. The more mass under the hammer the better.

Thanks for posting.
Mark <><

Nice!

Thats a nicely done RR Track anvil. I started with one and am still very glad to have it. It has its detractors and I can see their points about mass under the hammer. The way you have your set up is a good way to do it. I've also seen some people who do what you've done, that is set it on end, then used a thick piece of plate they weld to the end for additional mass. The end result being, they have a 100 lb anvil. And that is plenty of mass for a small anvil. Way to go. Well done.

I would definitely suggest putting the sharp hot cut in the far or away position. And cover that sharp edge with something stout, garden hose as suggested, wood, metal, but use something.

standing the rr track on end is a good idea, but that sharp piece on it is not. I recommend you make or get a hot cut hardy and use it in a vise...leave the anvil safe by not having a sharp edghe on it anywhere.

Could bolt a leather strap to one side, put a magnet on the other end of the strap where you can flip it over the hotcut when not in use

Mat, I too think that the cut off is an accident just waiting to happen. Cover it, or make a separate one and use in your vice, etc. BE CAREFUL..

That's probably the best example of a railroad anvil that I've ever seen. Never even though about making all those added work stations to one of them, and I don't doubt that it will be great for making knives on! Very good job.

One thing I might do differently is to remove the hot-cutter portion and weld on a section of 1/2" or 3/4" round stock in its place. As a built-in fuller, that round stock would help a good deal to move metal for tangs and make finger grooves or radii for transitional areas. A short section of coil spring would work wonders right there, and you won't have to worry about any "accidents".

I've been thinking of doing the same thing except I'm considering upsetting it to have a slightly larger surface because I think my track may be smaller.