Posted 5 years ago
AnythingOb…
(1778 items)
As mentioned not too long ago when showing my little chunk of railroad track 'yard art' here:
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/271511-my-latest-bit-of-heavy-flower-garden-ar?in=user
this is a smaller (lighter?!) chunk of old track that currently hangs around at the shop collecting dust. (mostly) Someone went to a good bit of trouble cutting and grinding on it to actually craft it into a piece quite like a purpose made anvil, with flattened top and edges (including small surface holes in 3 diameters), one 'square' end, one 'pointed' end, and a 'base' which could be attached to a bench or work surface.
It is about 12-1/2" long and 5-1/2" high overall, its base measures about 5" x 8", and it only weighs 18 pounds or so. The only markings I can find on it look like a "U" and an "S" on one side, likely the only remains of some original foundry indication of who first made the track itself.
Lot of good work when into making that one. I had a piece of rail I used as an anvil once. Back in the last millennium.
WOW, what a response! :-) :-) :-) THANKS SO MUCH to EJW-54, fortapache, jscott0363, yougottahavestuff, Watchsearcher, ho2cultcha, Irishcollector., buckethead, Brunswick, Ben, Anik, iggy, blunderbuss2, bobby725, officialfuel, & Rageunder for stopping by and sharing the <love it>s for my old track anvil!!
BB2, I certainly agree that someone with some good skills (plus some really good tools otherwise?!) made the thing...?!
Somebody had to do some milling on this. No way it was hand ground that perfect.
I honestly don't have any clue about how it was made, only guessing that maybe the original craftsman had access to an actual RxR machine shop or something...? I *do* know that RxR iron, generally, is much harder steel than most other varieties...this piece is even more curious showing its various remaining evidence of whatever tools/machines were used to make it. [so crude on its 'undercuts', but so nicely finished on its top/edges...then the base shows marks of a horizontal sawing operation?]
It would make sense that RR shops made these.
I really enjoy seeing repurposed items into useful tool. It really shows the resourcefulness of our forefathers and foremothers to utilize what we have at hand to construct a tool that is needed in our everyday lives.