I Been Workin' On The Rail Road

[TozziWelding]

More like un workin the rail road, but a nice pay chech tomorrow when the scales at the scrap yard open. All in all over 50 tons of iron.
http://s94.photobucket.com/albums/l110/TozziWelding/?action=view&current=RailRoad008.jpg
Having a machine helped alot.
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l110/TozziWelding/RailRoad005.jpg
This is how we do it when you need to cut all day.
http://s94.photobucket.com/albums/l110/TozziWelding/?action=view&current=RailRoad004.jpg
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l110/TozziWelding/RailRoad012.jpg
Look at the ice on that baby, a big scrap tip will do that.
Tools of the trade.
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l110/TozziWelding/RailRoad006.jpg
Look Propane really can cut!!!:blob4:
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l110/TozziWelding/RailRoad007.jpg
Here is my crew for the day, Johnny and Lenny.
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l110/TozziWelding/RailRoad009.jpg
Me cutting like a mad man.
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l110/TozziWelding/RailRoad010.jpg
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l110/TozziWelding/RailRoad011.jpg

[MicroZone]

Damn - that's a nice scrap score. What is steel scrap over there - 50 or 60 cent/lb.?

[TozziWelding]

Scrap is between $120-$160 a ton ;)

[MicroZone]

So, what are you buying your best buddy from NY for Christmas? :laugh:

[G3farms]

around here you have to have a letter from the rail road before the scrap yard will buy scrap rails.

G3

[tapwelder]

My scrap yard won't take rail road scrap. I guess because the rail road owns the area around the tracks so individuals are not supposed to pick stuff up for personal use.

Make sure you have something stating it is yours.

Yeah what G3farms said.

[TozziWelding]

I am not worried about it, they came out of an old refrigerated warehouse spur line, that has been defunct for over 40 years. The date on the rails was 1914 Bethlehem Steel by the way.

[MicroZone]

Tozzi - care to cut me out a small piece of just that stamping and send it to me? I like knick-knacks like that.

[David R]

It makes a decent anvil too.

David

[MicroZone]

Ya - I was thinking book ends for a few of my shop manuals. Makes an interesting conversation piece.

[TozziWelding]

All I saved was 2, 4 foot pieces that were requested by my buddy. I think shipping would kill you on that too.

[zapster]

So that equalls out to roughly 8000$..

And NO WELDING was required...

Hmmmmmmm
Maybe its time to go in the scrap buisness????


...zap!

[MicroZone]

I'll pay for shipping and throw in a few bucks for your time. How big are the stamps on the steel?

[TozziWelding]

Bethlehem alone is over a foot.

[MicroZone]

It's up to you, no pressure. I could also pick it up next time I visit Zap or Lorenzo. Either way, thanks for checking into it. :)

[Brainfarth]

Good score.
I worked for a local shipyard a few years back and every morning we would have a safety/production meeting in the shop. While they covered a few things, a co-worker was moving one of those big oxygen tanks behind us. He lost control of the tank as he was rolling it and it started to fall over. He yelled something out and all of us ran in different directions like a bunch of mice. Nothing happened other than liquid oxygen venting out of the valve. But every time I see one of those, I'm reminded of the time that a bunch of us nearly crapped our pants.

[denrep]

So that equalls out to roughly 8000$..

And NO WELDING was required...

Hmmmmmmm
Maybe its time to go in the scrap buisness????


...zap!

Hey you forgot to deduct for the liquid tank, backhoe, Johnny, Lenny, gross ton shrinkage...

[737mechanic]

Wow I think it is time for me to go dig up my local railroad and make me some money.

[maddog]

you might save a piece for your shop. RR track is fairly high carbon steel - something like 1070, and makes good tools. Nice to have a piece for hammering on or for hot forming.

[gnm109]

Wow I think it is time for me to go dig up my local railroad and make me some money.


It looks like hard work to me! Oh yeah, when you start cutting up rail, make sure that Ernie Borgnine isn't working in the yard that day! If he sees you cutting up his rails, he'll put the wood to your neck! (1)



(1) A vague reference to the movie "Emperor of the North" starring Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin.

[littlefuzz]

Good score.
I worked for a local shipyard a few years back and every morning we would have a safety/production meeting in the shop. While they covered a few things, a co-worker was moving one of those big oxygen tanks behind us. He lost control of the tank as he was rolling it and it started to fall over. He yelled something out and all of us ran in different directions like a bunch of mice. Nothing happened other than liquid oxygen venting out of the valve. But every time I see one of those, I'm reminded of the time that a bunch of us nearly crapped our pants.

No need to worry, those tanks are low pressure.

[Joe H]

Low pressure liquid oxygen??

[Joker11]

Man...I got beat to the punch! I was going to say that around here you get a free pair of bracelets if you show up at the scrap yard with any rail.

This is a big railroad town. They even contract out the used beat up wood ties to landscape companies that re-sell them to yuppies.

[littlefuzz]

Low pressure liquid oxygen??

All the tanks I've seen and use are. Around 300psi, but I could be wrong.

[TozziWelding]

When I hooked up my regyulator, the HI side never moved, LO maxed arround 120-130.

[Joe H]

Neet.. I've never been near one of those tanks. How the heck do they do that? I would've thought they were under more pressure than a regular oxygen tank. Is the oxygen dissolved in a liquid or something??

[pulser]

you might save a piece for your shop. RR track is fairly high carbon steel - something like 1070, and makes good tools. Nice to have a piece for hammering on or for hot forming.

Interesting point on the carbon content, I think you are correct. I was told, years ago by a metallurgy professor, that the microsctructure of rail is close to 100% pearlite, which would be 0.8% carbon in iron (1080 steel).

Pearlite Definition: A lamellar constituent of steel consisting of alternate layers of ferrite (alpha-iron) and cementite (iron Carbide Fe3C) and is formed on cooling austenite at 723oC. This produces a tough structure and is responsible for the mechanical properties of unhardened steel. (copied from http://metals.about.com/library/bldef-Pearlite.htm ).

Iron is very soft and ductile, and cementite (Carbide) is very hard and brittle, but the alternating layered combination is strong, tough, and wear resistant.

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