Fatfudd Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 I picked up an unusual anvil today- its a rail anvil, made to fit over a railroad track. Its face is 9in wide x 8in long and 8.5in tall, weighs about 80lbs. Its cast steel and has about a 50% redound, about like a piece of rail track. Postman mentions these in AIA and has one picture. Doesn't say much else tho. I'm assuming its the same quality of steel as a rail track and could be heat treated. If any of you know more about them I would appreciate your thinking on heat treating it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 It looks to me to be a cast iron product. Definately not the same steel as in the rail. I am sure that it could take a lot of pounding, given the mass of the thing. But it is not made to be heat treated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal99 Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 No way! My dad just got that exact same thing a few weeks ago! He's using it for an anvil when we forge! I was thinking that maybe it was some type of ballast or something. That's neat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 My first guess would be some sort of counterweight myself and most likely cast iron---what does the spark test say? What does the ring test say? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 I think its ductile iron, has a ring but not a great one and sparks better than cast but not like steel. The old fellow I got it from trades alot in old railroad stuff and he had several. He thought it was steel but obviously it isn't. Oh well, tried it out this afternoon with some heavy gauge steel and that wide of a platform works nicely. Didn't have to give much for it so it'll be handy without remorse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 real handy for some tasks. I knew a 5th generation blacksmith in Stroud OK that had one of the old bridge anvils used in the oilpatch to repoint cable tool drill bits. As is common for them the face was beat to heck. So he built a frame for it and flipped it upside down and used the massive flat base to level plow points on a task he did quite a bit of at one time... You could have that one surface ground if you ever needed a fairly accurate flat to work off of! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 Right on Thomas, I think its going to be handy for small demos too, I can work on that big face without taking up too much room. - BTW sorry I didn't make it down for the last SWABA meeting at your shop. Sounds like I missed getting to cruise your scrap pile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal99 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 So what exactly is it? Is it an actual anvil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted October 16, 2012 Author Share Posted October 16, 2012 Yeah it is a railroad anvil. made to fit over the rails so the workers had a large flat spot to beat on. Postman's picture in AIA is similar and probably a true steel anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal99 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 That's pretty cool. Ill have to get that book sometime. It sounds interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Not *my* scrap pile; the scrapyard about 6 miles down the road that lets you dig in the piles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal99 Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 I was checking out some pictures of some railroad bridge anvils and they all seem a lot different then this thing. I would love to see the picture in AIA is there any way you could post it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 Yeah this isn't a bridge anvil. I would assume that AIA is copyrighted. You can probably see a copy at a library. The one in AIA is very similar except that it has a step on one side and a pritchel hole on the other. Other than that the shape is nearly the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal99 Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Hmm so there still is a chance that this isn't an anvil. I've searched and searched for a picture of what we have and have found nothing so far. I hate not knowing for sure lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 Here's one that sold on ebay that is the same as the picture in Postman's AIA. If you don't have an ebay account you may not be able to open the site since its in the completed auction category. As you can see from my pictures, its different than the ebay/AIA pics. The difference is that ebay anvil and the one in AIA are made to fit over both narrow and standard gauge tracks. Mine is only for standard gauge tracks.http://www.ebay.com/...=p2047675.l2557 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Gaddis Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 My way of thinking is that it is a jack stand...used to cross the track when a jacks would be inserted onto the top, then lifting a rail car / engine when they had the old oil filled bearings. Now days all rail equiptment has sealed bearings. But I would like to have one myself. Carry on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal99 Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Any idea on the value of one of these guys? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted October 28, 2012 Author Share Posted October 28, 2012 I dunno- I gave about $50 in trade for it, figured it was worth it for having a different face to pound on. I'm not sorry at all it is very handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Yates Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 My way of thinking is that it is a jack stand...used to cross the track when a jacks would be inserted onto the top, then lifting a rail car / engine when they had the old oil filled bearings. Now days all rail equiptment has sealed bearings. But I would like to have one myself. Carry on I think you are correct as one of the ol timers here in town says the same thing it set over the track and was used to support the old jacks when servicing the ol rail carts not the ones to day . Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal99 Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 Did you ever find any solid information on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted May 10, 2013 Author Share Posted May 10, 2013 Did you ever find any solid information on it? Yeah, its a combination of all the above. These are anvils as Postman suggests and they are jack stands too. Kinda of a multi-purpose tool. they may have seen other duties, I got this info from an old railroad tool collector who had several different shapes. Guess they changed over time and were made by different manufacturers. I love the one I have. I keep it on the ground next to my forge and use it when I need to do a quick hit on something or for upsetting larger stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal99 Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 Cool! That's a great idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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