My Lutheran Pastor friend just sent me a foot long chunk of old rail that the local library in Audubon, IA was selling as a fund-raiser. It was apparently from a Rock Island line that ran nearby. He said that another piece had “1885” embossed upon it and was wondering if this was the date the rail was manufactured. My piece doesn’t bear these numbers but is embossed with “JOLIET.” Does anybody have any ideas on where this old iron may have come from, etc?
May you all have a Blessed Holy Week and a Happy Easter!
The 1885 date may well indicate the date the rail was rolled. The “JOLIET” wording would indicate that it was rolled at what became a US Steel rolling mill in that city. I’m not sure of the owner of the plant in 1885.
An early predecessor of US Steel/ILLINOIS Steel. Joliet “branding” (raised letters) was common from 1869-1892 (That whole rail mill was retired in 1936 and operations eventually moved to Burns Harbor and that integrated mill), so you are in the right neighborhood. Height of rail and width of base of rail will determine the rail size (which also was branded on the rail)…
Size of rail might determine if that rail was even common to Rock Island. (No real way to determine if it was even CRIP’s easilly unless you had the heat number stamped into the rail opposite the brand. For all you know, it may have been a secondhand rail coming out of an industry track, siding or backtrack somewhere. New rail for CRIP in that era would be 80 or 85 Lb/Yd…
Joliet Steel & Iron operated from the post Civil War period into the 1930’s. Today, that site is a historical monument alongside the Illinois & Michigan canal in Will County, IL.
Audubon is located in southwestern Iowa. One of my great-greats was station agent there for the C&NW in the late 1800’s. However, that line does not fit very well into the C&NW system as it developed, and it very well could have been sold to the Rock Island.
The Rock came into Audubon from the south in 1878 (Atlantic & Audubon RR) and the CNW came into Audubon from the north in 1882 (from Carroll). CNW pulled the plug in the 50’s and CRIP/IAIS was done in the 90’s…
Measure the width of the base, and the height from the base to the top, and post it here. Someone might be able to identify the weight (size) of the rail, at least within a couple pounds per yard or so.
Thirty-five pound to the yard rail was the most common in the 1880’s, but if your rail section is one foot long it should be an easy matter to determine the “per yard” weight of the rail. Weigh what you’ve got and simply multiply by three.
That’s a pretty cool gift you’ve been sent! And thank you for your Easter sentiments!