Hello. I have a railroad right by my house which has proved to be extremely fruitful in rr spikes, the 1 mile stretch has yielded 120+ spikes and plenty of vaious metal. This track runs north/south, and I have noticed that at least 85% of the things I have found have been on the west side of the track. Is this just coincidence or some sort of technique? Thanks.

Just means that the track thieves got arrested before they could get around to robbing from the  east side is all.  You do know that in the USA stealing from the RR tracks or the easement is a federal felony right?

I live in Canada.

On fridays those tracks are full of people going for walks along them. 

Coriolis effect....

Coriolis effect....

Oh course! Why didn't I think of that! Lol

Stuff ends up on the east side in OZ ;-)

or the workers all toss them to the other side so when they do a cleanup they only have to do one side...

I know you're Canadian but you just MIGHT want to see if you're risking serious fines and or jail time scrounging RR property. Worth a call to you? Maybe you think ignorance of the law will work in court but not a chance.

Frosty The Lucky.

Now everyone has to make their own decisions; however in general you will find it better to A not admit to unlawful behavior on the internet and B not advocate such behavior for others.   I know it's hard to not want to crow a bit about a great find; but those two rules are fairly good ones in my opinion.

Now everyone has to make their own decisions; however in general you will find it better to A not admit to unlawful behavior on the internet and B not advocate such behavior for others.   I know it's hard to not want to crow a bit about a great find; but those two rules are fairly good ones in my opinion.

To quote "People's Court," Judge Millian, "Say it forget it. Write it regret it."

Frosty The Lucky.

I was at a junkyard a while back that wouldn't even ADMIT, standing 3 feet away from a pile of spikes, that they had them!   Was standing there talking to the guy, we're both LOOKING at the pile and he says, "Nope, we don't have any, it's illegal for us to even take them in."   Look at the pile, look at him.....   okaaaaaayyy.    

I have several friends who are high up in the railroad here, I have other friends who have just been given piles of spikes for free from the manufacturers and railroad. I have contacted them. Everyone collects them around here. I collected a few, now I don't need anymore. Some were 100 years old and almost rusted in half.

Edited August 11, 201510 yr by Graeson

Always better to be safe than sorry, some times it isn't easer to ask for forgibeness than permition, lol

may want to read this thread, http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/42975-what-is-this-steel-good-for/

I talked to the local railroad and they clarified things for me. Any bent spikes not attached to the railroad are fair game. Regarding straight ones, you can take any "truly abandoned" ones, meaning not on the step or track.

If that's their stand than, I think you're safe. But as others have said, it's better safe, than sorry.

Yep, this is a world wide forum, so different rules apply in diferent places, polacy also differs from rail company to company. I am glad you asked and know the rules for your area. I would hate for you to be one of the stories that ended tragicaly. 

Around here their are abandoned spures (privat lines to long gone buisnesses) as well as lines that have been removed, ad that to lazy rail workers that push steel and trash onto privat property. So I can usualy come up with a chunk "legaly"with out asking.

Otherwise the rail maintenenace supper has been acomidating 

I do document where i found it, and have the permition of the land owner (as witness in my note book as to where I aquired the stock) 

We were making spike bottle openers and got sick of rusted bent ones so we bought a keg of mine rr spikes worked good saved time and I have some left over.  I've bought many rusted old ones at yard sales all over the place.  Legal, illegal who knows, doesn't seem to bother to get a drivers license  in CT. 

Sheffield steel manufactures them up by Tulsa (along with "T" posts) 

While it's an interesting debate, and often folks say " railroad/company/scrapyard employee/super/manager etc. Gave it away/to me......" it's not their property to give away! It was just lying there unutilized, like your car in the parade? I live in a country were anything has become "fair game" even live HT cables , Does that make it right?

Edited August 13, 201510 yr by ianinsa

We have a local scrapyard that has a contract with the RR for their spikes so Ive never had problems getting them when I wanted. That and family that works for the RR. Around here the RR guys use to let anyone take used old spikes(all you had to do was ask) but in the last few years the scrap thieves got so bad that they had to tighten down and adhere to the rules.

Another thing this is coal country so you could also buy scrap off the coal companies. They had their own tracks and such. their spikes were fair game.

Speaking of fencing T-posts.  What kind of steel are they?  (My dad has a huge pile of old ones behind his barn)

Shefield has been making them out of old rail for a wile now, so many of them would be high carbon manganise steel.