old railroad track site

[jbbj]

Hi I was wondering if it would be good to go where there was an old railroad tracks use to be for md It use to be there in the 1800's but its gone and moved it now.

 

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[luvsdux]

Never know for sure until you try. You'll probably pick up a lot of RR spikes, but who knows what else?
luvsdux

 

[beerguy]

I knew a guy that was into RR's, he MD'ed them and said that he found a lot of tools. That is ALL he detected for.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

No, probably not worth it, unless there was a specific stopping point, where the people got off trains and milled around. Ie.: stations. But to simply go wander where RR tracks were, .... no. Just gonna be iron debri IMHO.

 

[jbbj]

Thats what I thought thank you guys very much

 

[Ima Swinger]

Well, all those old railroad workers carried pocket change too. You might get lucky and find a little something. You're still getting out and doing what you love to do.
I don't see this as a waste of time. Give it a shot and let us know what you find!

HH

 

[jbbj]

Thats true too all iv been doing is finding junk anyway and been having fun and good exercise... I just got to get the nerves to knock on doors to try to find the good stuff lol...I'm on the shy side...I know a town all it is is old houses there from 1800's. But I fig I would try the old site where the old track are its by a big creek.

 

[biggerdigger]

I think that sounds like a great idea! If there were old tracks near me - I'd be out there too

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

lots of iron along those tracks....and evaporated milk cans.

 

[jbbj]

From some of the research I did I know the tracks were for the war and logging and that didn't do that much research yet plan on it this week b4 the weekend

 

[Old Dude]

lots of iron along those tracks....and evaporated milk cans.

As well as opium tins discarded by the Chinese workers. Those are pretty cool relics to find. If you can find the camps that followed the tracks as they progressed, who knows?

 

[jbbj]

How would you find the camps? Just by what u find?

 

[Old Dude]

How would you find the camps? Just by what u find?

You should find old food tins, charcoal from fire pits, things of this nature.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

with all due respect for ima-swinger, ...... do you realize how fast those RR worker teams moved when laying down track? Progress was recorded in miles (or thousands of feet anyhow) each DAY. Thus no, the fumble fingers drop by a RR worker is hardly the reason to go randomly hunting along RR tracks. The time-frame that those RR workers were at any given point on the track was measured in perhaps a single hour, 100+ yrs. ago. Doesn't make sense.

I mean, it's about the statistical odds of saying that "the middle of nowhere in the forest is a good place to detect, because a few guys walked there 120 yrs. ago for an hour". Huh? Since when?

Thus on the contrary, the places you'd want to hunt is where those RR workers CAMPED AND LIVED. Not just random stretches where they worked laying those tracks. The RR worker base stations would be little tent cities set up for a month or so, where a water tower might be erected, and as a staging area for the 10 or 15 miles of track laid in that zone. Then when they'd progress further up the distance, they'd pick up their tent-city, and move it 10 or 15 miles further down for a new base station/staging area. THOSE are the spots you might want to try, as they'd have returned there night after night, all night long, taking off their clothes to sleep, drinking, gambling, etc...

 

[Ima Swinger]

Well, sounded like fun to me.
I guess one man's "fun" is another man's "wasting my time".
To each his own.

 

[BC1969]

Well my opinion on this may interest you, back when the recruits were getting ready to go to training during WW2, at every train stop, to pick up more recruits and what-nots, allot of the locals would come to the station, to sell the GI's hooch, the guys would be hanging out the windows and alot of coin and bills changed hands, and well since the train is alot longer than the station was, this would take place as far as 200 yards in either direction of the station, I learned this first hand from a good friend, who is a true American Hero, who stormed the beach at omaha.
He has a book that details this, with pictures, I met him, a few years ago as he is a client at my wifes place of work.
If you love history, especially the history of the first US Army Rangers, then you will love reading his book.
You can find out more about him and his book here.

Ranger Copeland

Mike

 

[Ima Swinger]

BC, that is cool info.
Thanks for sharing.

HH

 

[jbbj]

Ill have to check that out after work

 

[jbbj]

i was looking on the old maps looking at the railroad tracks and it shows lill box with a name and how much property they had and it right next to the track...am i guessing this right there were houses right next to the tracks