Date Nail Dream Come True!

[Old Pueblo]

Went out yesterday with some family and found a bunch of more date nails from the old railroad, including some nice large ones in good shape. These are all the different ones we found.



Last photo is a little bit of the desert around here.

 

[Mudflap]

Neat finds. I used to work for a railroad at one time and would sometimes find them on abandoned old spur tracks. Today the new ties are concrete!

 

[Old Pueblo]

Yes, Ive seen the new concrete ones. Shame they dont use the nails anymore.

 

[Old Pueblo]

Neat finds. I used to work for a railroad at one time and would sometimes find them on abandoned old spur tracks. Today the new ties are concrete!

Was that in Arizona, when you were working on the railroad? Just wondering

 

[Mudflap]

Was that in Arizona, when you were working on the railroad? Just wondering

Was radio maintainer for Amtrak New Haven, CT to Westerly, RI and New Haven, CT to Springfield, MA. Old line and was rebuild many times over the years.

 

[scruggs]

Cool nails!

 

[Old Pueblo]

Was radio maintainer for Amtrak New Haven, CT to Westerly, RI and New Haven, CT to Springfield, MA. Old line and was rebuild many times over the years.

Thanks, I was wondering if you were here in AZ and might be able to tell me where some of those abandoned spurs are, but since you're back east I suppose thats out of the question. I probably wont cross the Mississippi again in my lifetime.

 

[Old Pueblo]

Thanks for your responses, everyone. Id been dreaming about finding a bunch of nails like this in one place for a long time now. Glad it finally came. Heres a photo of all my nails, except for a big headed 1940 which I misplaced somewhere.



The 1916 and the little 1940 you see at the bottom came from old telegraph or telephone poles.

 

[against the wind]

Congrats on the Date Nails.
I guess you hit an area where a lot of maintenance was needed.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Super finds!

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Awesome finds, congratulations!

 

[digger460]

You are the Date Nail King

 

[Davers]

Thanks for your responses, everyone. Id been dreaming about finding a bunch of nails like this in one place for a long time now. Glad it finally came. Heres a photo of all my nails, except for a big headed 1940 which I misplaced somewhere.

View attachment 1526775

The 1916 and the little 1940 you see at the bottom came from old telegraph or telephone poles.

Those are Cool.
I could look them up , but if you want explain why the were dated (other than the obvious reasons) lol

Lot's of old tracks around here 'Many still have wood ties ' & I have never seen or found one of those.

Also guess Concrete saves Trees & lasts longer , kinda like asphalt topped interstate & Concrete Roadway.
Neat Post.

 

[old digger]

Cool Finds!

I see your missing a few years (4,5,13,45.). Maybe I could see if I have any that I put up.

 

[Old Pueblo]

Cool Finds!

I see your missing a few years (4,5,13,45.). Maybe I could see if I have any that I put up.

That would be great, Id love to see them.

 

[Old Pueblo]

Those are Cool.
I could look them up , but if you want explain why the were dated (other than the obvious reasons) lol

Lot's of old tracks around here 'Many still have wood ties ' & I have never seen or found one of those.

Also guess Concrete saves Trees & lasts longer , kinda like asphalt topped interstate & Concrete Roadway.
Neat Post.

Thanks and thats a good question. Every now and then the wooden railroad crossties would have to be replaced, and the date nail let the railroad section crews know how old a tie is. The nails were put in there when they were made and treated with a wood preservative made from creosote and some other stuff that protected the tie from the elements.

Date nails can also be foun in old telephone poles and the old guard rails you see on the highways, and also in railroad trestles, not just the crossties. Ive only found a few in telephone poles and 1 in an old bridge.

 

[P.ALLEN]

I mentioned you gettting a nice live edge slab of wood to put those in, maybe get someone to cut you a small length of train track, drill some holes in it and place them in, it would look really cool. Or get a mesquite or red cedar stump. I've got a couple of Michigan Wild Cherry stumps in the garage (I carve canes on the side), I'll take some pictures and see if you like them or the idea.

 

[Old Pueblo]

I mentioned you gettting a nice live edge slab of wood to put those in, maybe get someone to cut you a small length of train track, drill some holes in it and place them in, it would look really cool. Or get a mesquite or red cedar stump. I've got a couple of Michigan Wild Cherry stumps in the garage (I carve canes on the side), I'll take some pictures and see if you like them or the idea.

Thanks for the offer, but I have some wood outside that I was planning on using to make a little railroad tie out of for the nails, but I havent got around to it. And although most of my nails are nice and straight, there are a couple of them that are bent, such as the large 1939 you see, that I wouldnt be able to put in there. You often see railroad spikes and plates still sticking out of the old ties, so Im going to drive a few of the narrow gauge RR spikes I have into the piece of wood to make it look more authentic. I dont want to use a piece of an actual railroad tie because they stink and the creosote stuff they soak them in is actually poisonous. You dont want to have prolonged contact with the stuff on your skin, which is why some people will soak the date nails they find in vinegar to get the creosote stuff off. The piece of wood I have was treated with something as well, but it doesnt stink like the ties do, and its nice enough wood that I can bring inside.

 

[highnam]

Super cool! I have dug many spikes and nails...none with a date. Hope i can luck into one someday

 

[Davers]

Thanks and thats a good question. Every now and then the wooden railroad crossties would have to be replaced, and the date nail let the railroad section crews know how old a tie is. The nails were put in there when they were made and treated with a wood preservative made from creosote and some other stuff that protected the tie from the elements.

Date nails can also be foun in old telephone poles and the old guard rails you see on the highways, and also in railroad trestles, not just the crossties. Ive only found a few in telephone poles and 1 in an old bridge.

That's good info.
I assumed they were just the Heads with #'s ,guessing you have them stuck in the cardboard.

They look to be Brass , if iron ,I can see why I have never found any.

I have found older 'Smaller spikes' Even dated Plates the track sits on , Dated 1920's or 1930's (that was 10 years ago) I took them in for recycling . Found glass insulators ,even those Clear Glass Marbles ,...but thinking back the Glass Marbles could have fallen out of open top rail cars & the marbles were gonna be used in 'New Glass Mfg'

Ill def, be on the lookout for these interesting pieces in the future.
Thanks for the reply.
Davey