[TheForge] Dies--cutting RR

[David E. Smucker]

Most railroad rail is not harden -- except that the top of the rail will be 
work hardened from service.  This means that you can cut rail with a 
horizontal bandsaw -- on the slowest speed -- but do it upside down and use 
lub.  When you come to the hard top of the rail -- you may lose your blade 
or quit and break it.  (I should note that some modern rail is hardened --  
but most you will find as scrap is old rail.  All rail that I haven ever see 
has the date of manufacture on it and also may have the weight per yard.)

To use rail I generally burn it to a short section and the burn off the 
flange (base) and web.  I then weld on a handle from 1/2 to 3/4 dia steel 
and work the head under the power hammer to a section size I want.  Be 
careful to grind off any burning damage or you will forge in cold shuts as 
crack starters.  The base and web can be cut into bar section and reforge --  
makes good tool stock.

A lot of scrap rail has been recycled into rebar, and tee fence posts.  A 
mill cuts the rail head off and that is rerolled (without melting) into 
rebar and the remaining tee - base and flange - rerolled into tee fence 
posts.  Not sure that this is still being done because the amount of scrap 
rail has dropped a lot since old lines have been taken up and most scrap 
today would come from the active rail lines.  Even today rail get reused a 
number of times by the railroads themselves.  Rail from curves is high 
wear -- it get moved from one side to the other to equalize wear and then 
gets down rated for yard use.  The last rail I picked up at the scrap yard 
was made in 1909 -- almost a 100 years in service of some kind.

Dave Smucker


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark A. Pesetsky" <pesetsky at Princeton.EDU>
To: "Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2007 3:04 PM
Subject: RE: [TheForge] Dies


I have a 5' section of rail...How would I cut it? Can't anneal it due to
the size/not having an OXY/ACET set up...

Mark


> What kind if steel is rr track? I've heard it makes good dies, but
> some work to make it usable.
>
> Ron C
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