Railroad Track Anvil aka "Poor Mans Anvil"

[pflaming]

In the fifties, we picked up truck loads of railroad ties, used them as fence corners, lined our trench silo with them, cut them for fires wood in our shop stove, etc. In the seventies I hauled some fifty choice ties from the RR yard in Omaha and built a retaining wall with them. So I guess the rules are not evenly enforced.

[Ulu]

I have a few along my drive. Brought by some landscaper from who knows where.

[linus6948]

My on going search for anvils and railroad track pieces led me to a couple of freebies that I happily took. From an 80 year old gentleman I got a piece of iron/steel that is 12ins x 8 1/2ins x 2ins thick that he said was originally his Grandfather`s. This same guy has a blacksmith`s leg/post vice that he might be willing to sell me. From my buddy that bobbed the Army truck I got a piece of the rear suspension that got cut off.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 5, 2015 by linus6948

[BobT-47P15]

We have a railroad salvage place here in Joplin, MO.........rails, plates, spikes, ties......things left after repairs on area

railroad lines.  I presume they would sell a thing like a piece of rail if asked, but do not know their policy.  The stuff

just sits out in a couple lots near our Main Street, about in the middle of town.   

[linus6948]

From what I`ve been reading Bob picking up anything from the RR can be huge grief if observed by any law enforcement under the new Homeland Security Laws concerning RRs making it not worth the risk. The best advice I read was how if you happen to encounter a track crew working on the rails and you happen to have a cold case of beer with you sometimes you can get an odd cutoff scrap or two for the asking. The same theory might hold true around the rail yard.

[linus6948]

I finally got the time to research the press I got from the 80 year old gentleman for $75 who could not remember much about it except that he paid a lot of money for it many years ago and he said it was a much better quality one in it`s day. Well apparently he was telling me the gospel truth because these are still being sold as refurbs and their original price tag was very high. It has been kept outside for years with the exception of the bottle jack which was always kept indoors.

I asked him again about that blacksmiths leg/post vice he has and was told he turned down a $200 offer on it already, I`m gonna take a pass on that.

 

 

 

http://www.phjjacks.com/merchant/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PHJ&Product_Code=93618+-+Recon&Category_Code=

[Don Coatney]

I had a guy once ask me how a press like that could work without being bolted to the floor as he thought that when you press down the lift would go up.

[deathbound]

Nice score for $75. (might get a "you suck" if we were on the Garage Journal)