#Railroad spike how to
#Railroad spike free

These types of rails were commonly utilized in mines or on other early horse drawn railways. During the primitive days of the railroad, wooden rails were commonplace, thus, wooden pegs or nails would oftentimes be seen holding rails in place.

HistoryĪ fastener of a sort has been commonplace on the rails since the early 19th century. Each component contributes to the vital infrastructure, ensuring rails remain in place, ensuring any lateral motion is prevented. What are railroad tracks made of? Railroad tracks are made of rails, spikes, and railroad ties.

#Railroad spike free

Less than $1,40 per spike, free shipping is not included.Since the railroad’s genesis in the 1830s, there has always been a type of fastener that has held the rail firmly onto the tie plate, preventing the motion known as lateral movement, which is when an object, in this case the rail, moves from side-to-side, therefore, bringing the track out of gauge. Medium to large order, great value for the buck, enough for many railroad spikes projects. Free shipping is included.ħ5x Railroad Spikes – Rusted, Weathered With Petina & Pitting $1.16 per railroad spike (NOTE: Price might change, check out the listing). This is a medium to large order, 50 railroad spikes would be enough for a few decent size projects. With an average buying price of $1.32 per railroad spike (NOTE: Price might change, check out the listing), it has a great value, the shipping is free.ĥ0x Railroad Spikes – Rusted, Weathered With Petina & Pitting If you are looking for a slightly small order, this is one of the best places to buy them. One of my favourite places to buy railroad spikes is Amazon, there are few sellers that offer railroad spikes in great condition (as great it can be for a 10-25 years old railroad spike).Ģ5x Railroad Spikes – Rusted, Weathered With Petina & Pitting Let’s look at the rusted, uncleaned ones first. However, the more expensive ones are already cleaned by any rust and are ready for your next project. These are usually the cheapest ones you will find, if cleaning doesn’t bother you it might be the best option. Some of the railroad spikes that are for sale out there were previously used, most of them being completely covered in rust. Probably that’s kind of the sweet number that is used for a decent size project, where things can go wrong and you need spare pieces. I am not saying you cannot buy more, that’s just the average.

The average buying order for railroad spikes is between 50 to 100 pieces. Where to buy railroad spikes from?Īs mentioned above, unless you are building a couple miles of train track in your backyard, chances that you need more than a few railroad spikes are slim. You might be able to get a better price if you buy them directly from them in bulk, assuming you need a large number.Īnyhow, the essence of my answer is that you shouldn’t take the railroad spikes that are sitting by the tracks, it can get you in a lot of trouble. First make sure you contact the owner, which in most of the cases is the railroad company that operates there (not all the time), they might be willing to just hand them to you for free. You might be able to get them for free, but not by just taking them. So, there is no chance I can get free railroad spikes? Taking any of those items without advanced permission from the owner is considered theft, walking around the rail tracks is considered trespassing. Let’s assume you didn’t.Many people have noticed that railroads leave either railroad ties or railroad spikes right by the tracks, which raised many eyebrows for people looking to get free stuff.

#Railroad spike how to

If you have read How to Get Free Railroad Ties? You will know my answer. Check it out!īefore we discuss the places that sell railroad spikes, let’s address the following question. Since we’re talking about where to buy railroad spikes from, I should mention that we recently wrote an article about railroad spikes art, which gives you over 100 ideas of what you can manufacture out of a railroad spike. Spikes directly from the manufacturers in large orders, the railroad spike “artists” looking to buy railroad spikes have to look into secondary markets which can fulfill a small order, usually 50 to 100 railroad spikes. In the last few decades, railroad spikes have started being used as main material for creating all kinds of innovative solutions around the house, anything from cabinets hardware to toilet paper holders, giving a more rough, rustic look to a place. A railroad spike looks like a large nail and its main use is for fixing rails (train tracks) to railroad ties.