![]() Ideally, get your spikes from leftovers tossed out from rail repair jobs. Really old spikes could be made of anything. There are two really popular kinds of rail spikes: low carbon and higher carbon.įrom what I’ve researched, the low carbon spikes have been phasing out since the 70’s in most areas in favor of the tougher higher carbon ones. Unless you have a metallurgist buddy, that is. Ok, maybe I didn’t do that great of a job with naming that heading – something along the lines of “likely variations” might be better…īasically, unless you’re buying brand new rail spikes that are certified and you also buy the standard that they were manufactured to (usually around $40-$50), it’s almost impossible to know exactly what’s in them. This will further help to prevent cracking. Sometimes they’ll be a bit of an alloy, with metals like copper mixed in to help make them more malleable. If anything, they’ll have less carbon and therefore won’t get as hard. Rail spikes usually aren’t an exact equivalent though. You won’t see it used for cutting tools, since it won’t hold an edge that well. That’s why it’s commonly seen in applications like heavy duty gears and shafts. It’s a “workhorse” steel – it’s tough and can handle a load well. ![]() The low carbon spikes are essentially mild steel.ġ045 is heat treatable. That’s about the rough equivalent of a 1045 steel. That’s why a rail spike that’s labeled HC (higher carbon) will only have about 0.4% carbon. In the standard it actually says that it must conform to the requirements for A36 steel, which is public information. This is the higher carbon steel Category 3 This is where it states that there are 3 general categories of track spike. It’s a current standard that controls the requirements for railroad spikes, and it was last reviewed back in 2013. That’s the standard that I’m drawing my information from. So the metal needs to be soft enough to bend without shattering. So it’s not practical for it to be too hard.īut a rail spike that’s bent can still do its job. If you whack it with a hammer, it’ll crack.Ī shattered rail spike holds no track (ancient Chinese proverb? If it’s not it should be). When a steel has a high carbon content and is heat treated so that it’s hard, it becomes more brittle. It needs to be strong and tough to do its job. It’s not subjected to wear like the track is. Required PropertiesĪ railroad spike holds the track in place. No matter what sort of cross tie maintenance you need to complete, or how involved and complicated your replacement project may be, rest assured that IRS has all of the railroad spike & timber tongs and other railway tools you need to complete the job as simply and as quickly as possible.Ok, to understand what the material is like, we should preface this with what it’s intended to do. In fact, we’ve been providing reliable railroad tie tools to professionals in this space since 1966, so we have watched as the technology has advanced, and have not only grown right along with it, but have had a hand in developing a lot of these modern tools. While our product line up may be wholly modern, we’re anything but new to the railway industry. Whether you’re in need of a railroad tie tong, tie plug driver, a pan pulling tool for concrete ties, or a spike fast kit for plugging holes in wooden ties, or virtually any other tool related to cross ties, you can count on Industry-Railway Suppliers to offer it. Given the unique components of each different sort of cross tie, there are many different tools available for maintaining or replacing them, and IRS is proud to provide top of the line products in every category. Of course, as the definition of cross ties has greatly expanded, so have the types of railroad tie tools necessary for servicing them. ![]() Today, cross tie materials have expanded significantly to include concrete, steel, plastic, and more. Many tracks still feature wooden cross ties, preserved to varying degrees, but it is no longer the universal material. In the early days of the railway infrastructure, there was just one type of cross tie: wood. Everything from railroad tie tools & tongs to railroad spikes, we understand the complicated nature of many cross tie projects, and our support team is always available to offer assistance in any way possible. While we don’t sell cross ties at Industry-Railway Suppliers, we do sell absolutely everything you could need to service them effectively. ![]() Next to the rail itself, the cross ties are perhaps the most iconic component of the railroad. ![]()
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