Is this a railroad tool?

Trains Magazine General Discussion
2

Michael,

I don’t know about anybody else, but I cannot see your picture.

It is a red “X” and some scribbled letters…

Please try to post it again.

[8-|]

3

I don’t see a picture, either, but from your written description my guess is that you have some rail tongs. Several men (usually at least 4) would use them to grasp and carry a 39 foot piece of rail and walk it into place.

Some were also used to place crossties.

All this was before the age of mechanization when everything about railroad construction was manual labor.

4

http://www.rrtools.com/catalog/TrackTools15.asp#86

Tongs sounds like a good place to start. If you follow the above link down to ‘Track Tongs’ There are several kinds of different tongs shown in small thumbnail photos, that may help you identify the tool found.

5

The word pliers does not describe tongs for ties and only maybe for rails. Gotta see a picture or drawing of whatcha got to be sure.

6

http://www.rrtools.com/catalog/TrackTools15.asp#86

Tongs sounds like a good place to start. If you follow the above link down to ‘Track Tongs’ There are several kinds of different tongs shown in small thumbnail photos, that may help you identify the tool found.

7

Post the photo in Photobucket, Flicker or another site, then copy and paste it here, that will get you a correct answer.

8

http://www.wch.com/railtong.htm = Burro Tongs (non-self threading rail tongs)