Re: A Couple Questions About Spikes

Dave Peterson Wrote:
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> You can find these on the Carson and Colorado
> Railroad ROW from time to time. I've heard them
> called "dog eared spikes". I've got one I found on
> the Candelaria branch about 20 years ago...

Thanks Dave - "Dog Eared Spikes" - now that sounds very appropriate. Finding them a continent away in the American west is interesting. And it throws a bit of a kink in positively identifying the exact dates of my spikes. However I'm still 95%+ sure of the dates for a couple other reasons.

That said, do you or others know where the C&C rails and fittings were made? Sometimes was this stuff shipped around the Horn and perhaps they were British? Altho surely the US had plenty of capacity by that date. Which would mean those dog eared type spikes were produced in North America as well as the UK and Europe.

And Chris, thanks as well for that great Orenstein & Koppel catalogue. Of particular interest were the "Fish Joints" on page 11 (I've always called them Fish Plates or just Rail Joiners). I have found a couple of these on the old Toronto Grey & Bruce narrow gauge grade. Given their small size they were definitely for the line's #40 narrow gauge rail, and in place before the rail was upgraded for standard gauging in 1881. So I assume the one pictured is also from England and original to the line's construction in 1870/71.


Cheers,
Ralph