Atlanta,Ga - Where to find "legally obtained" train track?

[AllenS]

I'm about as new to this as you can be but have always wanted to try creating stuff with fire and iron. I need to start with an anvil and want to find a piece of train track to make one. I see people getting this stuff for anvils, but I have no clue where to look for it. Any help? 

[the iron dwarf]

depends on where you are in the world, if local call round and collect some tomorrow from my place

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard Allen, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the Iforge gang live within visiting distance.

Obtaining RR rail can be harder than it used to be. Seems China is buying most of our scrap and RR companies, scrap yards, etc. are signing single buyer contracts so they can't sell to individuals. It's still worth asking, use the phone and yellow pages rather than the internet or stop if you see a crew working on the rail road. If it just so happens you have a box of donuts along you might be surprised. The company isn't going to even know if a little rail or a few spikes doesn't make it back to the yard's scrap pile so the company isn't subject to litigation.

There are other alternatives as good even better than rail for an improvised anvil, I really like broken truck axles mounted flange up. Any trimmings off the shaft make good hammers and struck tool stock.

Frosty The Lucky.

[the iron dwarf]

forklift tines ( forks here in the UK )

 

[AllenS]

I'm in Atlanta, Ga. Sorry for not expressing that earlier. 

[the iron dwarf]

if you add it to your profile so it shows on your posts it saves a lot of wasted effort for location specific questions, be as specific or vague as you are happy with but even USA narrows it down a bit, state a bit more and city even more

[Frosty]

9 minutes ago, AllenS said:

I'm in Atlanta, Ga. Sorry for not expressing that earlier. 

Heh, heh, heh. Telling us in one post isn't going to stick in anybody's memory after we open another. Putting it in the header puts it right in our faces every time you post something so we don't have to rely on our . . . memories. For example you don't have to try and schedule time to attend our next club meeting because you KNOW I live a long LONG way away, it says so right under my AVATAR.

It's not a rule of some kind, nor do we want directions to your house, it just makes getting and giving help a whole LOT easier. Someone within visiting distance of you might have something to make an anvil from rusting in his yard. Folk just need to know where you are.

Frosty The Lucky.

[AllenS]

Totally understood! I've updated my profile and put my location there as well. Sorry for the faux pas. 

[the iron dwarf]

no probs, its not a rule but helps when you ask questions

[ThomasPowers]

So:  Local scrap yards, local companies that do rail repair---a RR spike bottle opener would probably open many doors.  Out here cattle guards were sometimes made from RR rail; I had a friend who used to give me a 6' section every time I visited.  n.b.  when an old friend starts giving away their "treasures" it's a bad sign; try to spend as much time as you can with them.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Forget the rail, and look for a forklift fork. One fork will yield a far better anvil as is, and even better when cut and welded into a more compact mass. 

Also look at large axles, bucket pins for excavators, hydraulic breaker points, big sledge hammer heads, chunks of scrap steel, etc.. You are surrounded by anvils everyday, you just have to be able to recognize the non-London pattern ones.

[SpankySmith]

I scored a load of spikes and an offer of track (that part I turned down) from one of the local industrial plants, seems they actually own the portion of rail that comes onto their property to load and unload product, so they do their own line maintenance routinely.  You know anyone who works at a local industry?  The one here gave me everything I wanted, free.

[AllenS]

2 hours ago, BIGGUNDOCTOR said:

Forget the rail, and look for a forklift fork. One fork will yield a far better anvil as is, and even better when cut and welded into a more compact mass. 

Also look at large axles, bucket pins for excavators, hydraulic breaker points, big sledge hammer heads, chunks of scrap steel, etc.. You are surrounded by anvils everyday, you just have to be able to recognize the non-London pattern ones.

OK..can you elaborate on why the Fork is better than the rail? Also, how would I mount something like the fork? The rail has a base already built in but the fork is just a flat piece of steel, right? Sorry for the stupid questions, but Im extremely new to this so I really just don't know.

 

Thanks for any help!

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Rail is best used on end to put all of the mass under the hammer, the thin web can flex under heavy hammering. That is not to say it cannot be used, but there are better options. A fork tine has a more solid mass and better shape right from the start. A quick way to use the fork is just stand it up, and hammer on the part that attaches to the mast. Sections of the fork can be mounted flat, on end, on edge, or several welded together to form a bigger anvil. Search IFI for homemade anvils, there are several versions shown.