(Moderator) Forgive me if I've posted this in the wrong place and feel free to repost in the appropriate location
I metal detect as a hobby and was testing my gear in my front yard and came across a set of 10 foot railroad tracks that appear to be quite old and made of iron. The width between the tracks (believe it's called "gauge") was 3 feet. The one rail had "ET 40" stamped on the side and the other I can only read partial, "...S BUFFALO 400", or something like that. Both rails measure the same: the flat bottom measures 3.5 inches wide. The height is also 3.5 inches and the width of the top rail is 2 inches. The square bolt used in the (fishplates?) appear to be non-machined hand forged. I'm no expert. It is for this reason, I've posted this hoping someone on this forum can ID these rails and give me their age. Thank you for your interest. Tried to upload some pics (especially a cross section view, but can't seem to do it. If there is a way please let me know, and I'll upload.
I metal detect as a hobby and was testing my gear in my front yard and came across a set of 10 foot railroad tracks that appear to be quite old and made of iron. The width between the tracks (believe it's called "gauge") was 3 feet. The one rail had "ET 40" stamped on the side and the other I can only read partial, "...S BUFFALO 400", or something like that. Both rails measure the same: the flat bottom measures 3.5 inches wide. The height is also 3.5 inches and the width of the top rail is 2 inches. The square bolt used in the (fishplates?) appear to be non-machined hand forged. I'm no expert. It is for this reason, I've posted this hoping someone on this forum can ID these rails and give me their age. Thank you for your interest. Tried to upload some pics (especially a cross section view, but can't seem to do it. If there is a way please let me know, and I'll upload.