Re: NG Abandoned Line Exploring In Ontario - One Day's Finds

The next two photos show a typical day’s worth of narrow gauge finds, with standard gauge artefacts being two or three times this number. I don't usually keep those, unless the landowner would like them. Otherwise they're put by a nearby fencepost so that they won't be "found" again if I redo a field in future years. With regular plowing, new items are continually being recycled nearer to the surface.

Here are a couple ‘dog eared” spikes, and a broken narrow gauge era fish plate. The treasure however was an original TG&B Journal box lid – the first artefact I’ve ever found with the railway’s definitive embossed initials.






And the final photo is of the day’s items washed and drying. They have since been gently wire-wheeled to remove the surface rust, and then coated in oil to prevent internal rusting and the resultant spalling.




I give most of the spikes away to narrow gauge friends in this area, and all the county and community museums between Toronto and Owen Sound now have examples in their collections. Artefacts like the journal box lid, and a section of dated 1870 rail that I have, will make their way to the local Peel Region Museum and Archives, who are wanting to expand their railway history collection.

I know these rambles aren't exactly the spectacular abandoned grades of Colorado, but they get me outdoors and out of my wife's way as she spreads her quilting stuff all over the livingroom floor!!!!!

Cheers,
Ralph