a wooden chisel / wedge ? , from rr tracks .

[chong2]

again, found off rr tracks, under a bridge, did they use these as wedges? the wood has been formed into this by people. and still has a nice smooth effect to it. trains stopped running this line in the 1940's.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[trusty]

Looks like an old butter scoop/spoon.

 

[Monty]

Big splinter from a RR tie? My wife retired from a Railway and one of our best friends works in the maintenance shop. Nothing they would use for repairing tracks or locomotives he says. Monty

 

[stefen]

Actually looks like its been hand shaped and polished...not saturated with a preservative...

Possibly not even related to anything having to do with the RR...

Maybe something dropped by a Hobo from times past...

 

[littleneckhalfshell]

looks like a crude 'glut' to me. A glut is a wooden wedge usually used after an iron wedge or axe opens up a split in a log, you use the glut's to further open up the splint in the wood. Abraham Lincoln would have used them to split logs into rail fence, and I would guess that they could have been used to split out railroad ties, but as they are wood, I doubt that yours would be from that long ago. Maybe it is just a wedge used to tighten up a load on a flatbed.

 

[chong2]

if there was a small gap, say under a small bridge, wouldnt they use something similar to fill it? or tighten it? it has for sure been shaped. as for the hobo, good luck to him as we traveled many miles into the desert on atv, unless he was a desert hobo

 

[Kansas]

The doors open inward so they would not be torn off if they opened while moving and struck something.
I think you are on the right track (no pun intended) though.
It could be a wedge the Hobo's carried, so when they entered a open box car they would peg the door so the movement or stopping of the train wouldnt slam the door shut and trap them inside

 

[La Beep]

looks like a tanning tool
La Beep

 

[chong2]

tanning tool?