Considering using the head of a railway track for a hammer.

Any advice re suitability and or how to go about it?

Jim.

What kind of hammer, Power or handled hand hammer?
At a industrial forge shop I worked at they made some production runs of hammer heads and used C-1045. Truck axle, if the unforged portion of the axle if 1.373" or less is 1045H a pretty similar alloy. Bigger axles such as found on semis and big dump trucks that have unforged diameter bigger than 1.375" are 1541H also fairly similar. Both of these axle types will be heat treated in the found condition, but once heated to forge that heat treat is moot. You will need to punch the eye and forge paying attention to not hold the steel at forging temp for long without forging as grain growth is an issue in the "H" alloys. Quench in oil, temper at 475F If you water quench thiese alloys will quench crack. If you don't temper within 45 minutes these alloys are very likly to crack.
These aloys if well treated make very nice hammers, and when I worked at the axle factory I provided drops of axle stock to many folks for this very purpose.

If the balloon of the track is big enough, you could make a hand hammer. Most tracks are high carbon steel nowadays, whereas 1045 is medium carbon. Both make workable hammers. I square up the 1045 18-wheeler axle, which averages a 2"D, before punching the eye. I get it down to about 1 5/8" square when making a cross peen smith's hammer of 2½ to 3 pounds, finished. If you squared up the rr track, you might not have much left. I harden the head and peen separately. In attempting to harden the entire head, sometimes the cheeks either side of the eye may crack because of the different rate of heat abstraction when quenching.

On the track balloon, you might consider torching it out and grinding away the torch ash down to virgin metal before forging.

I'm looking at a straight pein hand hammer, to lengthen bars over the horn of the anvil.
Probably a small radius pein on one side, and a larger radius, pein on the other.

I made a straight peen hammer head from 52100 hardened and tempered back three cycles at 375 for 1hr becuase of work hardening 2 1/2 lb and it sure moves iron feels great have let two of my full time blacksmith friends use it and about had to fight to get it back .

Track is on the tough end of high carbon steel and would make a *fine* hammer head if you have a way to work it. A bit of a pain to do it all by hand due to it's shape. Harden and temper back and it should get passed on a generation or two...

Rounding hammer for the horn, working smart, upset it a little before you round or square off, and you will have plenty.
Easy on a power or air hammer, maybe a mate with sledge if by hand. Track does make good hammers.

I normally use the 1045. Does me. Very tolerant stuff.

The 52xxx, I think the 2 is out of 3 in chromium content , medium, so you had to watch your heat. That woulda been some hard hitting if by hand, the other thing is, even 5160, If It gets too hot, may crumble or fracture later, even if they don't look it now. Learnt that one quick....lol.

Post the hammer pic when you're finished.