Large Scale Central

Railroad Research Update. Your Help Needed

Prototypes
#1

Today was a very productive day in Rockport, Maine. My brother and I went out to the location of one section of long gone Rockport Lime Rock Railroad from 1886. Today there’s almost nothing left except for the overgrown paths and a few spikes if your lucky. Like I was. The area we went to is now a biking trail which isn’t used much right now until winter. While looking for clues to where one of the many trestles on this railroad was located my bro discovered a long section of narrow gauge rail 13 yards away from the roadbed next to the river. I was thrilled to see the only known piece of rail left in existence of this railroad. I found some spikes and fishplates a couple years ago in a different location but this surprised me. Here’s some pics of the find as well as a piece of metal which I need your help identifying.

I found this object beside the trail in the remains of the track ballast. I have no idea if it’s a clamp for the rail or what. The “base” is 4" long by 3" wide and the bracket with the hole is 2 1/2" in height. If you know what it is I’m very curious.

#2

Cool. I love rusty RR stuff, but I don’t know what your mystery object is. Some kind of rail clamp used at switches maybe?

#3

looks like a guage plate used on the side of the rails with a rod tur to the other side to keep the rails from spreading…

#4

NO answers from me Caleb but enjoyed your pictures! When in doubt ask the old guys!
:slight_smile:

#5

Without knowing its orientation for certain, its hard to guess.

A bit of terminology for you (though you might already know it and are using local vernacular) as a general rule, the pieces of metal that support the rail on top of the ties is known as a tie plate. The piece of metal that joins one rail to the next is known as a joint bar.

I would hazard the guess that this is a special part to a modular tie plate that prevents the stock rails at a switch from moving out of gauge. If, however, this road used stub switches, this could be a tie-rod part used to hold the two movable rails in gauge and move them from route to route.

Railroad Archeology is a wonderful hobby. While exploring an abandoned line that used to connect to a line thats still in service (officially), I found out that what appears to be the forest floor next to the railroad is actually the first floor from an old factory… a piece of the old boiler is still there as is one of the old leather-belt drive lines, complete with pulleys.

#6

Thanks Jason. Fishplate is a Maine term I guess. I’ve heard the railroad men up here say it all the time but I still try to refer to it as a joint bar. I’ve contacted narrow gauge societies and they can’t offer any help or identify it. The area I found it on has no switches but after looking through multiple photos I have made the best guess as to what it is. It’s probably a bracket used on the side dump cars. If you look at the photo (mine would just be reversed) there’s a bracket that looks almost identical. The back of it looks like it broke off (the railroad was known for short steep grades and frequent minor derailments). Any thoughts?

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8204/8173380457_77cae92b77_b.jpg)

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8206/8173405243_a36acce2b0_b.jpg)

The hole is where a bolt would hold it to the bottom frame.