• Rail ID numbers

  • Discussion relating to the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, the Erie, and the resulting 1960 merger creating the Erie Lackawanna. Visit the Erie Lackawanna Historical Society at http://www.erielackhs.org/.
Discussion relating to the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, the Erie, and the resulting 1960 merger creating the Erie Lackawanna. Visit the Erie Lackawanna Historical Society at http://www.erielackhs.org/.

Moderator: blockline4180

  by Steve0051
 
I have some rail and I'm just wondering what the code means. It says "Lackawanna 9032 5 1915"

I suspect that the rail was manufactured by the Lackawanna Steel Co. and it was produced in 1915, but what do the other numbers indicate?

Thanks.
Steve
  by JimBoylan
 
90 is the weight in pounds per yard, 5 is the month to go with the year.
32 means Reading Railroad's design, however,I don't know that the Reading Company had their own 90 pound rail, for that they used 9040, American Society Civil Engineer's design. Reading did have their own 100 pound rail, 10032.
Please recheck your numbers.
Sources are the "Tee Rail Sections - Data" page in both L. B. Foster's and Pohl Corp.'s catalogs.
At some point, Lackawana became the Lackawana Plant or Mill of a larger firm, probably Bethlehem Steel Corp.