Abandoned Railways

[TooManyHobbies]

As a kid we had an old railroad that went past our house. No tracks, just the path. We used to find lots of railroad spikes. 1) Are the spikes worth anything? I'm sure a bunch are still there. 2) Any other likely finds in that kind of area?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[TooManyHobbies]

Thank you Hoss.

 

[luvsdux]

Abandoned railways were used heavily by people. Walking them, building and maintaining them etc. Should always be worth a pass or two with a detector - as with any other area you never know until you try. Every now and then I find something where i wouldn't have ever thought there would be any metal to give a signal. Go for it.
HH
Bill

 

[baspinall]

I have some old 1800's tracks near me as well. I tried swinging there briefly but was detered by it being Deer hunting season. I will be back. The area absolutly drove my DFX crazy! Don't know if it was the bed rock or what? The rails & ties have long been removed. Not sure if there would be a better setting to use there or what.
Looking forward to checking out though... Let us know how you do.

Brian

 

[DanL]

Humm....was walking along one of the original railways in the US a few days ago (circa 1830). Some of the old stone stringers are still there (that was before they decided wood was better). Never thought about hunting the track though, but definitely wouldn't mind hunting around the foundation of the old station there -- except it's on private property.

 

[JimmyT]

Checking out RR tracks its possible to find almost anything. If your area ever had a water problem you will notice most tracks are usually on high ground and everybody used them to walk from point A to B. If it has a tressell and is old enough to been around during the civil war give that area a good check also. Good luck with your hunt.

Later JimmyT

 

[deepskyal]

I like walking the tracks around here. Lots of old abandonded house foundations sit back in the weeds, hard to see during summer...but now...I can spot them clearly.
Lots of little villages sprung up around rr tracks and disappeared just as quickly.

The one bad thing about detecting the tracks themselves....around here, trains spilled a lot...and I mean A LOT of pig iron...musket ball sized all over the place. Guess that goes with living around the "Steel City"

Look for depressions 20 feet or so off the tracks...years of growth and neglect...could be where a house was.
Al

Oh...and dont forget ...during the depression..hobo camps were just outside towns. Flat areas near streams, maybe near the tunnels where they could go for shelter during rain.

 

[epi-hunter]

I found a mid-1800's seated liberty half very near to an abandoned railway line on our property, within the first half hour of detecting there. It's tough to get through all that iron, but it's worth it... I'm definitely going to hit it again.

 

[UncleVinnys]

There's a railway (unused) by my house, and I was confounded by slag, which is a silica/metal byproduct of iron-making process - smelting. They use the waste slag as filler for the track bed, and there is a ton of it all over the tracks that can trigger the detector. When I found my first piece, I thought for sure I had found a meteorite - it is heavy and magnetic. Then I found the slag material all over the place, and read up on it. It's just a waste product. Still, I think with the use of the discriminator on your MD, you can tell the junk from the good stuff. Good luck.

V

 

[TooManyHobbies]

I remember finding the slag when I was a kid too. Didn't know what it was, just that it was from the old trains.

 

[GreenMeanie]

LOL my son and I call them meteor's too .
Nice to know what they are now.

There's a railway (unused) by my house, and I was confounded by slag, which is a silica/metal byproduct of iron-making process - smelting. They use the waste slag as filler for the track bed, and there is a ton of it all over the tracks that can trigger the detector. When I found my first piece, I thought for sure I had found a meteorite - it is heavy and magnetic. Then I found the slag material all over the place, and read up on it. It's just a waste product. Still, I think with the use of the discriminator on your MD, you can tell the junk from the good stuff. Good luck.

V

 

[kindafoundabuckle]

Checking out RR tracks its possible to find almost anything. If your area ever had a water problem you will notice most tracks are usually on high ground and everybody used them to walk from point A to B. If it has a tressell and is old enough to been around during the civil war give that area a good check also. Good luck with your hunt.

Later JimmyT

How would you know anything about the RR Jimmy? You act like you worked there!

KFB