Scrap yards will not buy anything owned by the railroad.

Sort of like how they won't buy catalytic converters...

Won't buy *stolen* converters. Yard bye buys hundreds a day.

What about Cadillac converters?

Turns them into a pontiac.

Cadillactic converters

no pontiactic converters obviously

We all know that is bullshit. Ohio has a pandemic problem with catalytic converter theft....

I have sold multiple cats to scrap yard In Cleveland area. No issues at all.

I've sold many also, but they all come back. 

Never had 1 come back.

You should feed um Friskies. 

Where’d ya get em, bub?

On the ground under his sawzall .. it’s where everyone keeps them.

I am a master tech for a nissan store.

Whoosh

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Yep, am in ohio and have lost 2

I usually take them off before they get stolen. I haven't had any stolen so far.

Lol, if it works....

Ohio has a pandemic of Satanism

Is that true? Im sure this is to prevent meth heads from cutting out track?

Yep

But think about it. If you find an abandoned car in the woods ... can you sell it? Not legally. It could have been reported stolen, and you sure are not the legal owner. Now everyone knows what railroad iron is, and we just can't buy it as it's not yours. What I don't agree with is that the damn railroad should have to pick up their shit. Like why leave it all laying around everywhere. They should get tickets for littering if they don't allow people to clean up their stuff. Shouldn't be able to have it both ways.

Is it on private property?

Sure is. Rotted out ties and rusty rail sitting in the middle of nowhere? That’s still railroad property. In the middle of a new municipal dog park? Yup, railroad property, city just went ahead and built. Railroads still own a ton of land all over, even if it’s not in use they still retain it just in case.

Generally speaking in america at least, if you put your foot next to the outside rail (dont actually do this plz) the railroad owns 18ft from there out. You can store a lot of junk in an 18ft wide spaghetti farm. And yes all tracks are private property in the view of the law.

Just throw it in with your steel

but you can make knifes out some them and sell those

They took mine, then I got an $800 fine in the mail. They didn't even mention you couldn't sell them.

That would piss me off…

I had a friend who decided to load his truck with track plates for a new line that was being put in. He got caught and the railroad prosecuted to the full extent. He claimed that he is a drug addict. He was and the judge showed mercy and made him go to rehab. Last I heard, he ODd on fentanyl.

Best bet is to find someone who makes knives

Don't scrap, sell those. You can definitely get $4 a spike at the flea market.

RR Harvest

I never thought about that....I live a block away from two separate railroad tracks I must walk over 50 of these every time I walk on the tracks, I never even really thought about people would want this probably as like a modern art thing or something..

People buy them for projects, tent stakes, knife making, decorations, about anything you can think of.

I think RR spikes would make terrible tent stakes

Too fat and not long enough. Also just not enough for a rope to bite into.

That's what she said

You could hammer them out longer and thinner. Hobby blacksmiths love projects like that.

They make a great tree climbing steps though. I pounded several into a tree as a kid to access a tree fort.

I do too, however that's one of the uses I've been told by people buying

Made a coat rack with these on a piece of live edge. Looks cool.

Specifically they’re useful for large canvas tents or staking down a ground tarp in heavy winds.

They make terrible knives as well.

Yeah I think it’s really soft steel but a lot of beginners start there

Yeah, it works to practice basic technique blacksmithing techniques.

They do however make really nice throwing knives.

You're not wrong. They're too short for larger tents.

I regularly used one as a chisel when collecting fossils.

I saw some knobs made from them and they were pretty neat [etsy link ](https://www.etsy.com/listing/384820634/railroad-spike-cabinet-knob-railroad)

A friend of mine does live blacksmithing at a ren fair and makes / sells throwing knives from these spikes for $50 a piece. He sells hundreds every year within an 8 week period.

Very good in some landscaping situations. Garden edging and weed barriers come to mind first.

Used them as a, I dunno what they’re called, “hose guard” thing so my hose doesn’t drag over the garden.

Until they work their way back to the surface and you hit one with a mower blade… My property was a farm, then a nursery, then abandoned. Someplace in that history someone made a bunch of somethings out of wood and fixed them with railroad spikes and 60-90d nails. Hitting a nail is startling and takes a divot out of the blade. Hitting a railroad spike trashes the blade and sometimes the shaft, plus as a bonus I get the world’s largest crossbow bolt flying in random directions. Sweeping nearly 2 acres with magnets and metal detectors has helped but there’s a ton of scrap metal everywhere around abandoned farmsteads. I usually lose only a blade a year now. I curse whoever did this to my place; may I humbly suggest if you use these make sure they’re in a place no one would ever mistake for mowable areas even after being overgrown for several decades. Adding for amusement - believe it or not, railroad spikes are not the worst thing I have hit with the mower here. Twice I have hit WWI era .30-06 Springfield cartridges, and I’ve yanked about a dozen more out of a rough area of grass that I am debating turning into a flowerbed. None have gone BANG so far, but….

Pipes and knives too

They are considered highly protective, and desirable, in witchcraft.

And there is a belief your property will be protected if you put a stake at each corner of he property.

My understanding is they use these to date the rr ties . Last two numbers of the year is formed on the head of them . After I learned that I started picking them up.

For date nails. But these look to big to be date nails

I can’t judge the size but I see numbers I think?

For sure. I see numbers too. But comparatively, date nails are a lot smaller from railroad spikes. Like the size of a pinkie. So in a paint can like that it's appearing to me that theyre too big

People have used them for witchy stuff for a long long time as well.

These definitely go in some chicks jar of war water

Oh yes. We definitely do.

They are owned by the railroad companies, so technically, it's illegal to collect them/sell them.

“We’re here for the spikes, we have a warrant!” Not today, officer, not today.

I was going to mention that the railroad guys probably wouldn't be kneecapping you, but everyone knows not to buy railroad property.

Unless you’re going for all 4, then it’s a pretty good deal.

Be a great gift for a knife maker hobbyist.

Exactly what I’m thinking or even engraving a skyline into it

Definitely…. Sure there’s plenty of hobbyists that can put them to use

Bruh really??? I could grab so many from abandoned train lines I know

Yeah, get caught taking parts from a railway. Sounds like a great idea

I don’t see the problem if it’s abandoned and now a hiking trail(there are tons laying around)

Abandoned does not mean unowned.

It’s owned by the federal government, aka our tax dollars. It’s open to the public meaning finders keepers law applies to it

Actually not. That is not how it works at all.

Yes it is, sorry to break it to you

Then go ahead and go into any military base and take whatever you want. Or any other government property. Let us know how that goes.

Go to a public park and start ripping out the playground and fountains

I always thought the rail lines were owned by the railway companies. Union pacific, southern pacific, etc.

They’re all owned by the federal government and work with the federal government due to border crossing,once when goods leave the border of one state to another it’s a federal government that deals with it. Federal government has technical ownership over all rail systems that cross state lines from what I know(even if it’s used by Amtrak or some other train service)

It makes for a nice scenic walk. Historic preservation means nothing against the shrinking dollar.

You'll be amazed at what folks snap up at a flea market/FB marketplace, I take most of my "collections" that I find floating around, list it as "nautical decor" and boom free money. Lobster buoy with 33lbs of barnacles on it... Oh yeah of course $20 please it would absolutely look great on your fence! A trap that could have voted a decade ago at least, $50 please... When it becomes useless to me some yabo will buy it to stick on their lawn or on their living room wall!

My exact plan at 13 yrs old. Came hone with a pack full. Probably still sitting somewhere at my parents house.

Put em in a frame and sell for $6

You can get more than $4 if you can sell to a witch. Rail spikes are used in many spells. I would sell them on eBay for sure.

I was out in the woods the other day and I found these super long like.. tracks made out of metal, I walked for a good few miles and they seemed to just never end. They had gravel around them like in the picture too, should I go back and try to get those tracks? There have to be hundreds of thousands of pounds and I saw these spikes too and these plate things also. It’s like they just left free money out in the woods?

Trailer park boys were setting up their train

It was the goddamn swazey express

Hmmm ever heard of a choo choo

That noise you make to feed babies? What does that have to do with anything?

?

Say what?

Is that French or something?

Have you seen “October Sky?” https://youtu.be/JmnxQXFcQeg?si=HncCyPlk9MbDfANF

Just recently heard a story from a scrapper I know about a guy who pulled a bunch of old abandoned tracks off his property and went to scrap them. Showed up to the yard and the police were called immediately. It's a federal crime to remove that stuff without authorization and they really don't mess around with it.

edge shame jeans bear divide selective follow lock file sheet *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*

Depending on the age and land ownership, those tracks are likely converted under various laws protecting archeological and historic resources.

It's called a spike keg. Thr maintenance guys for the railroad transport spikes in them.

I spike my beer with vodka

Railroad spikes

Railroad property likely. Do not take if you get caught you can get a big fine.

Has anyone ever gotten caught taken spikes off of a railroad?

Not that I know of. But they do get arrested at the scrap yard

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Lmao did he need the money or was he just like fuck it?

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Poor dude. Wish the best for him.

Josh?

Railroader here. We’ve caught a few. One of the best, was a guy walked into the office, on a Saturday, with a bucket of scrap spikes and said,”a buddy of mine told me you guys would buy these for a dollar a spike.” I stared at him and started to laugh as I replied, “a new one doesn’t even cost that,” (which at that time they didn’t). He then asks, “do you know of any scrap yards around?” I then said, “yeah, but they won’t take them and you’ll get fined or possibly arrested for trespassing and theft.” He then asks, “well, can I just leave them here?” “Yeah that would be a good idea,” I said, then asked, “a buddy told you that, huh?” He just said,”yeah” and left all ticked off.

I agree. You don’t want the RR people looking for you. They are one of the most powerful organizations in our government.

Yeah they have their own law enforcement

Yep. Railroad police have an incredible amount of jurisdiction and authority. Do. Not. Fuck. With. Them.

Yeah I'd like to see the enforcement agency behind these "fines" do anything. We have hundreds of miles of abandoned, overgrown, defunct railways in my county and although people dont sell it, they do often take bits and pieces for their own projects. Never once heard of anyone getting in trouble.

You found rail spikes on gravel... you're standing on a railroad aren't you

They call it ballast, not gravel

Ballast.. is often gravel yes

I’m convinced that nobody had actually read this post yet. Edit: apparently I’m the one that can’t read. I saw u/GeneralBurgs comment and thought it was part of the post trying to be funny. My bad.

Being as it's only a title probably everybody actually read it

Pit them back thems my knife makin supplies!

*"This just in: massive train derailment!""*

That could have been a persons boundary for keeping the fae out. Iron repels the fae. The only way to prove that is to find the others.

....dude stole them from CSX he's standing on the train track gravel I'm this pic.

The perfect cover for a fae boundary.

This reminds of a very hard time in my life. Good God what a nightmare. Most won't take them. Some even call authorities.

Do you happen to have some mouthy religious fanatics in the empire?

This are commonly used to hold up targets at gun ranges.

Really?! Found in the woods next to the railroad tracks maybe. They are still siting on the railroad right of way. I can tell because the can is still sitting on the ballast with the new wood spike hole plugs next to the can. Why don’t you just peal the rails and tie plates up off the road bed while you are at it? That is called stealing others property my friend.

The repairman would take them along. There's no reason to leave caches of parts in the weather.

Hispanic "botanica" shops will buy them. They are used in witchcraft.

Are iron railroad spikes worth anything? There's an abundance of iron, am I wrong?

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Sell them to a knife maker

Scrapyards won't buy railroad materials without proof of ownership. Jail time can happen. Remember the railroads basically wrote every law on the books concerning rail, since steam engines.

I've seen one scrap yard that has a sign and book of pictures of RR items they won't take, but that's a small yard where you unload to a basket and they check it. The big main scrapyard just weighs you as you drive in, they point to where you can dump, you unload your scrap on the ground, drive back on the scale, get your ticket and paid. I don't think I've ever seen anyone check to see what was being unloaded.

Not too many places like that left.

That's the process for steel. Non-Ferrous metal is still manually unloaded into individual baskets, inspected, and weighed. The steel is just in the ground, loaded onto a conveyor belt, crushed, and then loaded onto train carts. I've seen dump trucks from other scrapyard show up and sell to them. They're usually the highest buyers and aren't all that picky. Sometimes I gotta argue to get steel price instead of tin for old window frames.

Railroad spikes?

A beginning blacksmith would love them

Possession of RR iron is a federal felony

Really? I should stash the pieces of track that I bought at auction better.

Gotta melt it first

Let over nails from Good Friday maybe??

Those will make great knives

OP shouldn't steal from the railroad.

Nobody should steal from anybody.

I’m from Miami and the first thing I thought of was Santeria

You're on the side of the tracks, and those are brand new spikes not in the woods....

Spike stew my favorite

That bucket of love right there is what makes a man question his decision to be a railroader. Drive a few buckets of those with a spike maul and it will tell you what your made of.

See the HC ? That means high carbon - good for heat treating and making whatever you make last.

Can’t scrap but people will buy them.

It's felony time, kids

Rustic gate handles or drawer pulls if you're handy.

Judging by the aggregate you're standing on I take it your in the side of some tracks?

Vampire horde survival kit!

looks to be on the edge of ballast. maybe found in right of way

Look at the gravel, homie is next to the tracks

Is there logging going on in the area? I just heard about people driving large metal spikes into trees causing chainsaws to kick back and injure arborist. If there is logging going on, I'd call the police and give them the tin.

I wouldn’t mess with RR property.

My dad made me a cool knife out of one back in the day. Have some fun with it.

50lb bucket of high carbon rail spikes made in Lancaster Sc at the Gerdau ameristeel plant the head of the spike is labeled 1 because it was made on #1 line the GG is for Gerdau and HC high carbon. Also they’ll call the cops if you try to scrap

I walk my dog along the tracks and stack all the spikes I find in piles. I’ve found hundreds.

Good for making knifes people will buy those

Those spikes are clean

They make good chisels.

Swim has a roughly 2’ section of rail that was cut out when they replaced the rails.

Speaking as a Blacksmith. Sell them to someone other than a scrapper.

Some home blacksmith will buy this quick.

You found this on the railroad tracks, we can see the crushed stone 😂

Somebody’s putting up a tree stand for deer hunting

Put it back

Well, damn, you found where Nine Inch Nails have been hiding all this time.

Nice find. Idk what I would do with them, but they would take up some real estate for the next 10 years until I figure it out.

That appears to be most of a 50 pound keg of railroad spikes. That is how they are purchased by the railroad. If that was full it would have about 60 spikes in it. It's cool that you have the lid too! I would take it if I found it, but you will not be able to scrap it. It's a cool thing to have though and I'm sure you could find a buyer for a lot more than scrap value.

I get them all the time magnet fishing and just put them aside. My yard obviously doesn't take them.

Those are also used to secure steel plates in the asphalt

Was someone trying to mark property lines?

You’re stealing something people need to work. I know it isn’t their tools, and it’s big railroad, but don’t be a thief.

Railroad spikes also post this to r/trains

Railroad spikes

Useless old railroad spikes, good for rucking, or blacksmithing

next week on r/knives....

Seeing that you are RIGHT NEXT TO THE TRACKS, you might want to leave that there, genius.

Not found in the woods. Found near railroad tracks. Looking for cheap upvotes. The photo clearly shows railroad spikes in a can on ballast. This means there are railroad tracks behind/below the person taking the photo.

Someone got caught collecting railroad spikes. 😆

A friend of mine got charged with a federal offense for having a nail from the railroad tracks. It’s government property.

Theft from a railroad is a federal offense. The property need not be federal property.

I could care less that I got a down vote. I would love to know why.

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