This is the second rail spike bench seat. The first has exactly 100 spikes and this one has 110 spikes. The reason is that the railway came to our town in 1910 so there's one spike for every year since then. The chair will be on our station platform and will commemorate 110 years of railway here. 107 of the spikes are the steel round head type but the Clydesdale shoe in the middle was a good spot to place three of the old wrought iron 'dog spikes'.  The cast iron door knob in the centre adds a bit of interest and breaks up the line of spikes.

That is beautiful. I come from a town where the Rail Road used to be a really big deal. They have an annual 3 day festival called Depot Days. It's getting to be a smaller event every year. It seems like the history is getting swept into non existence. I think it's great you made such a wonderful piece to commemorate the town's history and keep it alive. 

Very cool.

  Ausfire, that is a pleasing work of functional art.  You blend wood and metal nicely.   I imagine many a weary traveler/tourist will ease their eye on it.  Maybe rest other body parts as well?  

3 hours ago, CrazyGoatLady said:

 It seems like the history is getting swept into non existence.

  I grew up in a tiny whistle stop town.  They are currently moving the depot/station to a new location to save it so there are some left who care.  Its up on blocks waiting for the flatbed.  I remember as a young boy climbing around on the boxcars on the siding for fun...  Let a kid try that today....

Absolutely gorgeous ausfire, I love it.

Another beautiful well thought out piece of art Aus.

Well done.

Frosty The Lucky.

Thank you all for the encouraging comments. Thinking of another bench now using some old steel wheels as end pieces. Not a new idea, I know, but all these things are unique in their own way. And it won't have a rail spike anywhere near it!

 

No "bed of RR Spikes"  benches?

The railroads were what made Sears Roebuck great, allowing any farmer anywhere to order anything from the massive catalog and have it delivered to the local station where they could haul the new woodburning kitchen range, or windmill, or table, back to the farm. I was greatly surprised that when the internet came along they didn't jump on it and "out Amazon Amazon".

We used to take the AutoTrain from near Washington DC to Florida for family vacations.  My parents wanted us to experience train travel.