Oldest Rail Still in Use

Rail is rated for a certain number of billions of tons. The only place you're going to find old rail on a very active railroad is on a not very active branch or siding. Otherwise, it will have hit its billions of tons, and been replaced.

Well, after several years of saying I'm going back to investigate, I finally did. But I forgot to bring my chalk witch Russ suggested. So I have to go back again.

The missing rail that I reported awhile ago, has been replaced with a "new one." Rails from the main line, were in bad shape and dated 1902. Then, newer rails were installed leading up to the transfer station. Those were dated 1922. I could not locate the 1881 rail. There were two rails on the same side that were just too corroded to read. If I had the chalk, I might have been able to read it. Also, the oldest rails closest to the switches, were buried in ballast and would take a serious effort to clear. I don't think that would look to good to a passing train crew. Which may only be the B&P guys at 930pm.

With having a tenant with kids, I have plenty of chalk laying around the yard now so that will be my next project.....again.

RussNelson wrote:Rail is rated for a certain number of billions of tons. The only place you're going to find old rail on a very active railroad is on a not very active branch or siding. Otherwise, it will have hit its billions of tons, and been replaced.

Which anymore is going to mean siding on a shortline most likely, or some other circumstance where it's not likely the track's ever been upgraded.

So what is the current winner?
I have a contender..1905! this rail is in use:

1905


1908


I only saw one stick of 1905 rail, and that's the oldest I saw..
there are several sticks of 1908 rail at this location..and 1920, 1931, and 1941.

Scot

As far as I know, it's still the 1887 New York & Ogdensburg engine house track in Norfolk: http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.ph ... 50#p718550

As a reminder, a lot of the rail on the Arcade & Attica is 1890.

There's a section near Genesee Road that could be older than 1890.

I've seen a 1902 piece of rail in Elmira few yrs ago. i use to live in Elmira & walked the tracks many times.

1887, girls and boys, 1887. Read 'em and weep.

RussNelson wrote:1887, girls and boys, 1887. Read 'em and weep.

Damn! I was wrong! I didn't look at all the sticks on the middle track going into the Norfolk enginehouse. Turns out that one of them says "St. Albans VT 1882." You might think that's pretty old, and you'd be right, but I kept looking, and found one that says "PSCo. 81". I expect that means Pittsburgh Steel Company 1881.

The 1882 rail (and associated 1887 rails) were getting pretty tired, especially for 60 pound rail. They recently pulled them out and replaced them with much "newer", heavier rail. It says "Scranton Steel Co. 2 90" which can only be 1890. It still doesn't say the weight, but I'm guessing that it's 80 pound rail.

I love VRS!

Photos follow, in ascending date order:

Nice finds, Russ...........that 1882 rail looks so thin!

While digging around the Gardenville line, I visited the PRR siding. These pictures show the oldest rails currently still in place...not in use. The good looking rail is 1902. The other one is corroded to the point I can't find the time stamp. But it's got to be older than the one it is jointed too.

In this photo the rail on the right is stamped 1902. But the rail on the left is unreadable. Not even a clue. But looks significantly worn. The transfer station is in the background not serviced by rail. The switch and derailer are still in place for this little piece of track.


In this picture, the rail in the foreground is the 1902 rail. The unknown rail is next.

There's a bunch of Buffalo 1900 and Buffalo 1905 rail on the Battenkill interchange tracks, though much of its being ripped out as they rebuilt the trackage.

RussNelson wrote:Rail is rated for a certain number of billions of tons. The only place you're going to find old rail on a very active railroad is on a not very active branch or siding. Otherwise, it will have hit its billions of tons, and been replaced.

Russ - You are correct about rail being rated to carry a certain many billions of tons before it must be "retired" to branch/siding/yard service, or recycled. However there's lots of 65+ year old - but only recently laid - rail in service on the very busy CSX here in Chili.

The Westshore is laid with literally miles of 127 lb CWR dated 1945. This rail was laid on the 'Shore about 20 years ago when the (older) conventional jointed rail was replaced.

And there's this oddball on the south side of track 2 on the main near CP 382. It's a 140 lb rail rolled in 1947. (Most of the rail around one is dated 1976 or 2001. I suspect this one is a "new old stock" stick that somehow managed to avoid getting welded into CWR for 50+ years.)

...FB

Sst that rail you are looking belongs to a short spur that used to service that station and before that a quarry on the site. If you look at the second spur that was used to interchange between the prr ebenezer yards and NYC gardenville. Also off that interchange track is a spur into the second electrical transfer station next to the road for ebenezer railcar. This spur also has been used in recent years to bring large transformers into the facility on flat cars when needed. As a kid I used to see mow equipment parked on that short track.

IMG_0470 by AviationMetalSmith, on Flickr

Not very old, I remember when it was installed. CWR. The Long Island Rail Road's Oyster Bay Branch.