My older brother worked on a track crew doing track repairs for a rail road when he was just out of high school in the late 90's. He used to take me to his work sometimes to show me what he did and I could fish off a pier. He used those hammers almost daily. Being much younger, I was amazed at how precise he could swing them over his head and strike the spikes so perfectly aimed. Some revered people achieve mastery skills in sports or playing musical instruments. My brother drove spikes and he was a hero to me.
I jumped onto the railroad for a contracting company as a track maintainer about a year and a half ago, fresh out of highschool. I had guys saying, "You're 18 and already on the railroad? That's how you know you're fucked"
when you double spike you both hit the same spike in time never hammer the spike that is next to your buddy over the rail. The skinny end of the hammer is for spiking between switch points and guard rails. When you set spikes you use a spike maul so you don't smash your finger on the spike(been there done that with a 12 lb "Monday Maul" (normal sledgehammer, which you can not spike over the rail with). Why do we call it a monday? Because every time you pick it up it sucks just like monday. Just choke up to get it started then wack it 3 or 4 times so it will not jump out then go to town with a windmill swing, sometimes called rolling the hammer. Most ties I have spiked in one day by hand is 88 and that is 6 spikes per tie. I love it when you get a good old American steel hammer (not the chinese steel we get now) and you hear that ring when you hit the spike just right. So yes we still use spike mauls every day on the railroad.
here is some old school trivia- the name for the track repair crew was "Gandey Dancers".( like in the in stage "lady dancers" of the time) this came from how the looked working together moving and adjusting the track by hand and pry-bars, also were some songs came from when they sang them to keep in time as they did their work. my Grandpa worked for a logging train company in Washington state.. remember the song I've been working on the rail road? after each phrase they would heave the track over as needed.
Yup, those are indeed spike driving hammers. Cool find. Railroad roundhouses were (and still are, to an extent) a machine shop of railroad proportions. Massive power hammers, big forges, and a whole lot of danger made the wheels turn.
Railroad spikes are square so they won't split the wood. The sharp edge cuts across the grain and there's no lateral pressure on the wood fibers. For what it's worth.
I love learning from people who are enthusiastic about their subject! Thank you, EC! Great-grandfather built specialized parts for trains. When he was old, the church dishwasher broke down, was going to cost $$ to get it repaired. When he said "I can fix it" not everyone believed him. He poked around until he found the broken part, took it home and made a new one. Dishwasher worked great after he installed the new part. I bet he wasn't the only man who worked for the railroad who learned skills and a mindset that helped in seemingly unrelated situations the rest of his life.
When my Father retired he gave me his beloved 24 pound forward bias cross peen, he loved it for driving form stakes, said rocks couldn't stop it. I used it to drive master links in dozer tracks,you didn't ever want to miss, you would go for a ride. Only one other guy I worked with would use it, most would look and say no way. I was grateful when they came out with zipper master links. I have never seen another hammer as big as this one, my Dad said an old blacksmith probably made it.
Used to drive spikes for DS narrow gauge in Colorado. Being a historic rail, we had to do everything the old fashioned way with tie tongs, track shovels, spike pullers, and spike mauls. Each guy had their own way to swing and we’d work in tandem on spikes, especially driving in oak ties. When you get good you use the narrow end. Funnest job I ever had.
Learned to use one over 30 years ago, had to learn " the roll" , you strike, roll your wrists and bring the mail up in a fluid manner. It's an energy efficient technique and a joy to watch. It's been nearly 30 years since I used one but I can still roll a hammer with the best.
Great Vid, my grandfather worked for the Santa Fe, the one thing I would add is, when a spike was drove, they normally always had two guys on each spike taking turn hitting from opposing sides. Thanks for the vids!
I've probably watched this specific video a dozen times. It still fascinates me! I have a similar fascination with old west stories, though more leaning towards the timber/lumber trade, because of the family history involved. We have 10 generations of my family that have worked in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Primarily the Oregon Coast range and Central Cascades. Places like Mill City, Scio and Lebanon. My great grandfather was partial owner of Rose Mill (Lebanon) during WWII. Taledo, Siletz and Valasetz. My grandfather was the last yard forman before Valasetz was closed, in the mid '80's. I can certainly appreciate the fascination. Thank you for sharing the content that you do, Mr. Wadsworth.
As someone who volunteered at a "living museum" that operates a steam locomotive and worked on the track crew you "nailed" exactly why those spike mauls are shaped that way and how quickly the fun and novelty wears off when you have to replace and re-spike ties.
sort of. It is a hydraulic Stanly spike driver. Just put a cup on the end of a jackhammer and replace the chisel with a flat-ended rod that never leaves the cup.
you would be amazed at the technique in properly swinging a hammer. I can ding the hell out of those carnie bell games now. We rarely do it by hand now. There are some jobs that you can not use the driver on and you have to use a punch and hammer for.
I've always loved trains. My dad was a conductor for the Union Pacific Railroad for forty years. I'm not sure he loved trains after that but I still do haha!
Railroad retirement is still one of the best real pension/retirements left in the United States. I bet he didn't mind the retirement package. It's hard work, even now when there's equipment to do a lot of the work. Every tool is heavy, every material is heavy, and if its 100 degrees outside its 110 between those irons! I've been doing it for a while now, and I've moved into management. We have programs that we've got to bring some contractors in, and it's always interesting to see how many people quit on their first day. Contractors have a revolving door of people thinking they can do the job, who end up puking, and quitting. Never start this job in the summer.. lol.. give yourself a good winter to get your railroad strength.
CJ Reed you're right UPR is very old-school in a lot of ways. Seniority is everything, pay increases steadily throughout a career, and they actually take care of their retired employees. Sadly my dad was diagnosed with lukemia less than five years into his retirement, and he passed away two years later. But my god, did the RR ever take care of those medical bills! He had a private room in one of THE best cancer treatment facilities in the nation for many many months on end, on top of SO much other shite, and we saw bills for probably 1-2% of the cost of it all.
Yes, and imagine the cruisers, loggers, teamsters, and mill workers producing the ties. Love the way you pack so much imagery into a short video. Blessed again. Thank you, guys.
scott, thank you for all of the things you share and teach all of us , the comments on your videos speak for them self. everyone has alot respect for you and nate
I had a friend who worked for a small rail contractor that did spurs for factories and yards and other small private applications. They pounded spikes by hand with a hammer just like that. This was in 2007! If you want to check out something interesting look up thermite track welding! Railroading in general is a subject with so much history and cool stuff it'd take you a lifetime to learn it all. Thank frig for youtube!
I'm somewhat of a fan of the railroad and enjoying watching up close. A few years ago I went over to Northeast, Pa for a few hours of train watching. Got into town and just saw RR maintenance vehicles. Frowned, but soon realized they were replacing a long strand of continous rail. Wow. Soecialized mobile equipment galore. But at the end there were a few guys with spike mauls touching up.
i got a knife in the box from cy swan today, i want to thank you and cy both for this great honor, i got a camper coyote & it is stunning. ill never regret paying out a bit for a workhorse tool like that! in melbourne iowa there is a place called the edel historical blacksmith museum...so if u ever in the midwest
Hi there to all craftsman. I am new to the world of you tube, and love it. I have subscribed and really enjoy the video's.I served an apprentice blacksmith for the railways here in New Zealand which was five years then served for another fifteen years until they closed our shop an we were made redundant. We forged the spiking hammers the same as in the clip of old tool review these were forged under a 15CWT Massey Harris steam hammer. There was a similar hammer with a handle earlier in the clip we also made these for driving spikes in lighter rails. The hex blanks you thought were for hammers look very much like the drifts we used for making box spanners, you would drive the tapered end into a piece of heavy walled pipe until it came up on to the flat part then working it under the power hammer on the flats until you made the hex box end. Hope this is of help keep up the great work and I look forward to the next installment cheers Rod Kraal, South Canterbury, New Zealand
My dad was born in 1902 and was a blacksmith, mule skinner, and carpenter. Worked in the sawmill business his whole life. I lost him when I was just 11 yrs old, so I never reaped his knowledge but the his genes were passed to me and I am thankful very day for that. He built the first 8 wheel log wagon any one around here has ever seen in person.
My grandfather was a boilermaker local 92 out of Los Angeles. Did that work for 40 years. He once told me that rail houses were the worse to work in. Very dirty which is saying a lot considering he also worked in refineries too. When he first started in a shop he would go to work in a suit and jacket, change at the shop into his work cloths, they had showers there and after work would get back into his suit and head home. He worked a lot in the ship yards on Long Beach but also work in the Mohave desert at sears lake.
My grandfather worked as armed security at the switch yards of Russell, KY. Those switch yards were the largest in the world at the time. Check out some old photos of those yards in Russell, it's amazing how huge they really were. They also had the turntables you spoke of, for moving trains around the yard.
Essential Craftsman I swung a spike maul quite a bit 20+ years ago. You are right about someone starting them and the man with the maul setting them. Always stay a rail or two ahead of the maul. If he missed the spike and hit the rail, your bell will be ringing for hours. Great video!
One of my friend's grandfather was a railmaster for the Canadian National Railways. Well after his retirement (and walking with a cane), he was still proud to drive rail spikes in with a single blow. All retainment walls at his cabins where made of discarded dormers and rails. Let me tell you that I was careful to not angry that man. Keep up your excellent work!
My Mother's Father was a section foreman for Southern Pacific at the beginning of the Depression. He was demoted back to a section hand in order to keep his job. His track gang carried him until he could get back in good enough physical shape to carry his weight. He told me that story with a catch in hi throat at how proud he was of those men and the respect they had for him.
Long runs are done with machines now, but for the everyday line maintenance like I do we still drive with the spike mauls. You get very good at making new handles before you get decent at swinging one. You break it, you make it.
My Dad put in 43 years on the Great Northern and the Burlington Northern as a freight conductor until he retired. He always had a lot of respect for the track crews, "Gandy Dancers." He always said its "Tough work for tough people." As a young man, I spent 8 years in the truck gang, welding and repairing trucks and worn draft gear pockets on the engines. It's big iron and requires big equipment. That was hard work, but nothing like pounding spikes till you puke. Good video
You can see working railroad car turntables (sort of) on Powell St. in San Francisco. The Powell St. cable car runs between Mason St., near Fisherman's Wharf, up over a hill and down to Market St. in the downtown section. Where it stops at both ends, it is is turned around by on a manually-pushed turntable, right in the street, to catch the parallel set of tracks, load passengers, and go back up the hill the opposite direction. The single cable cars are nowhere near the size of full-size train locomotives, and there are no attached side tracks or repair galleys, but it's still cool to see.
blacksmithing was before what we have today as=welding--they were highly sought after and it took hard hot work to make things and repair things--this I know first hand as my grandfather was a blacksmith for =Alloy Metal plant in Alloy West Virginia and have many of his tool he made--its a dieing valuable craft and not many can master this but IF they do they are a gem.
I work track crew for a short line in Massachusetts. I use a spike maul daily. There is no better tool than my maul. Hot or cold, rain or shine, that bad boy does the job.
Very cool video thank you for putting this together! We actually still forge railroad tools 100% in the USA from USA sourced materials. We still make these railroad spike mauls for jobs across North America.
My Grandfather retired from the railroad in Roseville California, he worked their for one 30 years pulling cars and maintaining tracks. He was a crazy strong man till the day he died. They used to call him Yogi because he wore the same hat and was hilarious. I built a few anvils from pieces of track he gave me and all sorts of tools from old steaks and ties.
For your next video you should forge a spike maul out of one of those hammer blanks. My grandfather worked for UP and he always called them rail hammers. The odd thing is still today when they repair tracks they still have to drive all the spikes by hand. I'm not sure but they might even have to still lay new track by hand too.
I live very close to tracks and have found probably ten of those spike hammers laying around. I wondered for a while why there were so many just thrown down and left when they were still in great condition............ UNTIL I tried using one ! 😣 Nice collection you have there Scott ! 😊 Thanks for sharing and take care. 👍
The yellow stripers (new guys) hate them because they can't use them correctly. The first time I double spiked the old head (old gandy dancer) that was teaching me would miss every time I missed. After about 5 misses in a row, sweat beading off me, I looked at him a little angry and he smiled and said "I am not going to do all the work by myself kid"
Those are indeed 10 pound 'Bell patern' spike mauls. There used to be three manufacturers, all american firms, that made them. Woodings-Verona in Verona, Pa., Warwood Tool in Wheeling, Wv., and Tamco out of Bethel Park, Pa. Tamco still forges those tools today. Originally gorged from carbon steel, then a higher strenght alloy steel, and today forged from an S5, Grade B alloy steel. The tool is liquid quenched and tempered to a specific Burnell (spelling?) hardness, all conforming to AREMA specifications. Worked 40 plus years for a railroad tool distribution firm and demonstrated 'spiking' many times.
I've seen enough of you to say; Your heart is like a tree. It branches out through generations. Care is the soil upon which you thrive. Your spirit is encouraging. Well done.
My home is built where the local roundhouse used to be, and even though we dropped a foot or so of fill and then topsoil on the leveled ground, whenever digging for posts or garden boxes - I still find hammer handles, railroad spikes, etc. It's interesting to know precisely what the hickory "dowels" actually went to, back in the day!
I passed through your part of Oregon a couple weeks ago and I smiled and wondered what you were up to? thanks for the videos you are an amazing story teller and get my imagination wondering everytime you talk about the old smiths and such.
If the makers mark is a W over a V it is Woodings Verona Tool Co. Those 2 spike mauls are factory made.. They are what is called "Bell pattern" as they are round on both ends.
My grandfather operated one of those hammers building the railroad. To his dying day he had arms as big around as my body (mild hyperbole). Years after retiring he was still hard as nails.
Got 2 of these. One was my grandfather's and the other I acquired at some point (old American made). Almost reforged one into a hammer eye punch but couldn't bring myself to do it, just too cool of a piece to hang on to.
I grew up on the Illinois Central RR that runs from Chicago to New Orleans. My dad worked on the ICRR. Fulton, KY had a round house. You are correct, those are spike hammers. They were pretty much antiques though by early 60's, as steam powered machines were used for all but the small repair jobs.
I got 3 brand new ones in the back of the truck and my 30 year old one my partner gave me when he retired. Pretty sure we use them every day. You have to set the spikes before you use the hydraulic spike hammer to drive them or the other ones jump out to the hole. Then sometimes you can't get the power pack to the work location, and other times you do it for fun and to try and beat the other guy in contests... We have to make our own fun now. If you really want to drive spikes you use a kershaw hammer machine that has 4 hammers on it and you run it like a video game, but those are only for production teams.
MIMisguided I'm sure your totally correct. I'm 68, my information was 50 years old, railroads may have been at their peak in 1968. The trains are missed by many of us.
my Dad worked tie gang for Conrail in the late 70s, he still has his hammer. He said that some of the rail gang veterans would have guys set the spikes and then they would walk the rail, hammer in each hand, and spike both sides of the same rail. he said that if you couldn't cover up your hammer blows with the head of a dime, you still needed practice. i know that Ive never seen anyone able to effortlessly swing a sledge in a fluid circular motion like my Dad, drive home spikes and not get tired-Ive never been able to quite emulate it myself
Have you ever been to Promontory, Utah where the Golden Spike is? Meeting of the East and West with rails. Pretty impressive. There is a place south of Snowville Utah where people say you can hear strange things at night. It is the Chinese railroad workers singing and pinging. I have never heard it, but very reliable friends of mine have. Supposedly. AWESOME!!!! I am so glad to be able to call you and yours "Friends" It really is a pleasure to know you!!!
I work for Bnsf out of bend. Go ahead and handle one of those and try to drive a spike with it. It’s impressive how some guys can spike. Although they don’t do it a whole lot anymore other than local section crews.
My Great Grand Father was a blacksmith in East Tennessee for the railroad In Erwin, Tennessee! I have his forge and anvil ! Your assumption On the round house is correct!...
Another good one. I have one of the post hammers you showed and had no idea what it was for but I have used it to drive 2x4 stakes so guess It was self explanatory. With out a clue as usual in my life. Keep on keeping on.
I was hired on the railway 21 years ago as a heavy equipment operator. The spike hammer was one of the first pieces of heavy equipment I was made familiar with. You would not believe how far a spike flies when you don't hit it square and it doesn't penetrate the hardwood tie.
There’s a beautiful working railroad turn house in Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village in Dearborn Michigan. I just saw it a couple weeks ago. It’s definitely worth seeing.
May 9th, 2019 Union Pacific 4014 "Big Boy" meets UP 844 in Ogden Utah! 150th anniversary of the Golden Spike. Awesome video! You really have something special here on UA-cam. One of my top favorite channels.
If you have never heard Canadian Railroad Trilogy sung by Gordon Lightfoot, try it .. an amazing story of building the miles of rail to span a country.
Like you I was more interested in reading about the Mountain men than the RR that spelled the end to that era. I mistakenly left Lewis & Clark's expedition to last , knowing it was written for a report to the President ( Jefferson) and thinking it would be boring . Boy was I wrong ! Love old tools
I’ve been to Golden Spike. Middle of nowhere (Promontory, UT). So far away it’s where rocket propellant is tested and Autoliv (airbag manufacturer) makes their explosive propellant).
I work for a railroad company that still does railroad construction the old fashion way by hand in West Virginia in coal mine on their above and below ground tracks and how we do it is a man stand across the rail and two on the same side of the rail adjacent of one and other on the spike side. The man across from the spike sets the the spike by a single hit about one to two inches deep then one of the men on the other side hits it then the other and finally if it's a ideal situation the first man drives it flush with the third hit. That way each man only has to swing once to keep from gutting a man. Back it the old days to even get a job with railroad you had to be able to set a spike and then drive it in three hits with a spiking maul the hammer you speaking about. They come in three sizes from what I seen personally a 8lbs, 10lbs, and a 12lbs. The 8lb has head on one side about the size of a nickel and then the other is about quarter size. The 10lb has a quarter and half dollar sized head. The 12lb has both sides a half dollar sized head the are used as actual driving hammer where now days they have been replaced my machinery. Where the 8 and 10 are still widely used by railroad company's today for working in tight spaces where machine and hydraulic and pneumatic drives can't reach like in switch point or on a emergency derailment that you don't have time to transport equipment. I use one everyday but our company still does it like in the old days because we mainly do little patches here and there and it doesn't make financial sense to transport equipment to just replace a spot that takes by man power just one day to complete. So that why we still use all three sizes where I work and our hammer are so old the have actual maker marks from smiths on them where the was handmade. Also if you not aware spiking mauls are a hard steel than your normal hammer if your not accurate when swinging you can actual crack the rail right down center that's why rail company's like CN has made it where you are banned from swing across the ball of the rail you now must swing from the same side of the rail as the spike.
The 10 stamped on the maul means it's a 10 pound hammer. Spiking by hand isn't bad once you learn how to spike, and find your groove. I worked as M of W for 10 years. We did everything by hand.
I like you, really enjoy old tools also. The stories behind them? Who made them? And for what exact job? Who was the owner of that tool and for how long? Were they kept in the family and handed down from generation to generation??? Love to restore a great old tool. Thank you for your very informative and enjoyable videos. 👍👍👍😎🇨🇱 ps can’t wait to get building!
Dan H at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina. They only do this during festivals and the last time I saw it the guys were seriously old so who knows if they’ll do it again. I know I won’t be able to swing a maul like that when I’m that old. Of course I can’t now!
You should fit it with a beautiful hickory handle, wood finished to perfection, blue the head, fresh grind the strike faces to bright metal, oil it up, hang it on the wall to honor its history. I love these videos. Perhaps one day, I will have the time to pursue blacksmithing.........
Read a good book about the Krupp steel dynasty in Germany, known mostly for armament production, but their fortune was made mostly from railroad track production much of which ended up here in the American West.
+scott, you referenced a "single jack" in this video. I was told by an old timer one time when I asked for a single jack that a single jack was the man swinging the hammer on a hand drilling team and the guy turning the drill bit by hand was called the "cousin jack". Have you ever heard of that before. Just wanted to say thanks for a great channel...also did you ever sell that old at rig you purchased
"Cousin Jack" was the nickname given to the Cornish folks that came to America to work. You hear that alot with the Cornish that came to the US to work the mines.
(Please see my apologies in below reply) Scott I started watching you because you are one of the best men that do and teach CONSTRUCTION. WHERE IS YOUR CONSTRUCTION GOING - Have not seen it in a while Sir. I’ll be back when you do CONSTRUCTION!
Essential Craftsman If you look at my post on that episode You will see my kid words of support. Please forgive me for letting your mom’s situation slip my mind. It is summer and have been busy. I surely do not desire to be insensitive nor hurtful. May I suggest you mention or update us regulars and your new viewers that you are on time out. Many unaware viewers will click elsewhere when they do not get what they came for. I get some in your family desire privacy and You Owe That to Them... Just one sentence to remind us and tell others, and Maybe refer us/them back to your full explanation. I hope your son’s project is not suffering as some projects have time limits. Peace be with you and your family!!!
Lots of posts, so hopefully I didn’t miss it, but the folks laying and maintaining the rails were called “Gandy Dancers.” Maybe they still are… Some references call that long, narrow hammer a Gandy, and other references say the Gandy was the long bar used to nudge a rail over to the proper spot.
I think the name Gandy Dancers got their name from the tools. They were made by a company by the name of Gandy. The dancer part I was told came from the men kind of singing or chanting and moving to keep a steady rythum to make the work easier. That's what I heard. Wasn't there.
What I was told by an old railroader is that the guys that swung those were called Gandy dancer and their name comes from the tools that they were using that were manufactured by the Gandy tool company of Chicago.
My grandfather worked as a blacksmith at the Southern Pacific roundhouse in San Luis Obispo, California back before WWI. He and his five brothers all got jobs with the SPRR because their father, my great-grandfather, died a hero at the throttle of a passenger locomotive in Oakland.
My older brother worked on a track crew doing track repairs for a rail road when he was just out of high school in the late 90's. He used to take me to his work sometimes to show me what he did and I could fish off a pier. He used those hammers almost daily. Being much younger, I was amazed at how precise he could swing them over his head and strike the spikes so perfectly aimed. Some revered people achieve mastery skills in sports or playing musical instruments. My brother drove spikes and he was a hero to me.
Rocketninja200 Amen 🙏 i am a rail roader myself.
I jumped onto the railroad for a contracting company as a track maintainer about a year and a half ago, fresh out of highschool. I had guys saying, "You're 18 and already on the railroad? That's how you know you're fucked"
If you have never told him that to his face, you should. Even If he didn't quite show it, it would mean the world to him.
I’m a rail roader myself in Florida 🙏👍🇺🇸
when you double spike you both hit the same spike in time never hammer the spike that is next to your buddy over the rail. The skinny end of the hammer is for spiking between switch points and guard rails. When you set spikes you use a spike maul so you don't smash your finger on the spike(been there done that with a 12 lb "Monday Maul" (normal sledgehammer, which you can not spike over the rail with). Why do we call it a monday? Because every time you pick it up it sucks just like monday. Just choke up to get it started then wack it 3 or 4 times so it will not jump out then go to town with a windmill swing, sometimes called rolling the hammer. Most ties I have spiked in one day by hand is 88 and that is 6 spikes per tie. I love it when you get a good old American steel hammer (not the chinese steel we get now) and you hear that ring when you hit the spike just right. So yes we still use spike mauls every day on the railroad.
I have a friend that worked for the railroad he explain driving spikes the same way you did.
nothing worse than being afraid to take your glove off because your finger feels like it might be hamburger in there.
Triple spiking: ua-cam.com/video/7fobnmlEaEU/v-deo.html
Paul Shewmaker Very cool video, thanks!
MIMisguided or not using gloves and sending a drill through your finger at full speed.
Still can't get used to those dang things.
Yes sir, I love hard manual labor. Infact, I could watch it all day long...
here is some old school trivia- the name for the track repair crew was "Gandey Dancers".( like in the in stage "lady dancers" of the time) this came from how the looked working together moving and adjusting the track by hand and pry-bars, also were some songs came from when they sang them to keep in time as they did their work. my Grandpa worked for a logging train company in Washington state.. remember the song I've been working on the rail road? after each phrase they would heave the track over as needed.
Yup, those are indeed spike driving hammers. Cool find. Railroad roundhouses were (and still are, to an extent) a machine shop of railroad proportions. Massive power hammers, big forges, and a whole lot of danger made the wheels turn.
what amazes me is how so many parts (especially wheels on axles of old trains) are just friction fitted on.
Railroad spikes are square so they won't split the wood. The sharp edge cuts across the grain and there's no lateral pressure on the wood fibers. For what it's worth.
I love learning from people who are enthusiastic about their subject! Thank you, EC!
Great-grandfather built specialized parts for trains. When he was old, the church dishwasher broke down, was going to cost $$ to get it repaired. When he said "I can fix it" not everyone believed him. He poked around until he found the broken part, took it home and made a new one. Dishwasher worked great after he installed the new part. I bet he wasn't the only man who worked for the railroad who learned skills and a mindset that helped in seemingly unrelated situations the rest of his life.
When my Father retired he gave me his beloved 24 pound forward bias cross peen, he loved it for driving form stakes, said rocks couldn't stop it. I used it to drive master links in dozer tracks,you didn't ever want to miss, you would go for a ride. Only one other guy I worked with would use it, most would look and say no way. I was grateful when they came out with zipper master links. I have never seen another hammer as big as this one, my Dad said an old blacksmith probably made it.
Used to drive spikes for DS narrow gauge in Colorado. Being a historic rail, we had to do everything the old fashioned way with tie tongs, track shovels, spike pullers, and spike mauls. Each guy had their own way to swing and we’d work in tandem on spikes, especially driving in oak ties. When you get good you use the narrow end. Funnest job I ever had.
You are correct about the spike hammers, we use them daily
Learned to use one over 30 years ago, had to learn " the roll" , you strike, roll your wrists and bring the mail up in a fluid manner. It's an energy efficient technique and a joy to watch.
It's been nearly 30 years since I used one but I can still roll a hammer with the best.
"'Till you could just puke!"
New favorite saying
Great Vid, my grandfather worked for the Santa Fe, the one thing I would add is, when a spike was drove, they normally always had two guys on each spike taking turn hitting from opposing sides. Thanks for the vids!
This is the best channel on UA-cam. I love your sincerity and passion with which you present.
I've probably watched this specific video a dozen times. It still fascinates me!
I have a similar fascination with old west stories, though more leaning towards the timber/lumber trade, because of the family history involved.
We have 10 generations of my family that have worked in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Primarily the Oregon Coast range and Central Cascades. Places like Mill City, Scio and Lebanon. My great grandfather was partial owner of Rose Mill (Lebanon) during WWII. Taledo, Siletz and Valasetz. My grandfather was the last yard forman before Valasetz was closed, in the mid '80's.
I can certainly appreciate the fascination.
Thank you for sharing the content that you do, Mr. Wadsworth.
As someone who volunteered at a "living museum" that operates a steam locomotive and worked on the track crew you "nailed" exactly why those spike mauls are shaped that way and how quickly the fun and novelty wears off when you have to replace and re-spike ties.
LOL I do it every day. Only drive them by hand now for fun and competition between friends trackside.
Found out cutting down trees with an axe instead of a chainsaw yields same results... great comment.
MIMisguided What is used these days? A jackhammer to drive the spikes?
sort of. It is a hydraulic Stanly spike driver. Just put a cup on the end of a jackhammer and replace the chisel with a flat-ended rod that never leaves the cup.
you would be amazed at the technique in properly swinging a hammer. I can ding the hell out of those carnie bell games now. We rarely do it by hand now. There are some jobs that you can not use the driver on and you have to use a punch and hammer for.
I've always loved trains. My dad was a conductor for the Union Pacific Railroad for forty years. I'm not sure he loved trains after that but I still do haha!
Railroad retirement is still one of the best real pension/retirements left in the United States.
I bet he didn't mind the retirement package.
It's hard work, even now when there's equipment to do a lot of the work. Every tool is heavy, every material is heavy, and if its 100 degrees outside its 110 between those irons!
I've been doing it for a while now, and I've moved into management. We have programs that we've got to bring some contractors in, and it's always interesting to see how many people quit on their first day. Contractors have a revolving door of people thinking they can do the job, who end up puking, and quitting. Never start this job in the summer.. lol.. give yourself a good winter to get your railroad strength.
CJ Reed you're right UPR is very old-school in a lot of ways. Seniority is everything, pay increases steadily throughout a career, and they actually take care of their retired employees.
Sadly my dad was diagnosed with lukemia less than five years into his retirement, and he passed away two years later. But my god, did the RR ever take care of those medical bills! He had a private room in one of THE best cancer treatment facilities in the nation for many many months on end, on top of SO much other shite, and we saw bills for probably 1-2% of the cost of it all.
Yes, and imagine the cruisers, loggers, teamsters, and mill workers producing the ties. Love the way you pack so much imagery into a short video. Blessed again. Thank you, guys.
every now and then I run into a hand hewn tie. They are very rare now. Toledo docks stills has a few though
scott, thank you for all of the things you share and teach all of us , the comments on your videos speak for them self. everyone has alot respect for you and nate
Nailing them down till you could just puke. Brought a smile to my soul. Thanks .
Each of those old tools has a story to tell. Thanks for sharing with us.
They also make awesome tools to knock pins out of backhoe buckets or hydraulic cylinder pins
ben shelton that's what I use mine for. Definitely a life saver.
Thanks for sharing. Spike malls like those allows us to touch history, the day to day stuff, how simple tools in skilled hands built this nation.
I had a friend who worked for a small rail contractor that did spurs for factories and yards and other small private applications. They pounded spikes by hand with a hammer just like that. This was in 2007!
If you want to check out something interesting
look up thermite track welding! Railroading in general is a subject with so much history and cool stuff it'd take you a lifetime to learn it all. Thank frig for youtube!
I worked on the railroad for two years building track and you captured the spike maul very well!
I'm somewhat of a fan of the railroad and enjoying watching up close. A few years ago I went over to Northeast, Pa for a few hours of train watching. Got into town and just saw RR maintenance vehicles. Frowned, but soon realized they were replacing a long strand of continous rail. Wow. Soecialized mobile equipment galore. But at the end there were a few guys with spike mauls touching up.
i got a knife in the box from cy swan today, i want to thank you and cy both for this great honor, i got a camper coyote & it is stunning. ill never regret paying out a bit for a workhorse tool like that! in melbourne iowa there is a place called the edel historical blacksmith museum...so if u ever in the midwest
Hi there to all craftsman. I am new to the world of you tube, and love it. I have subscribed and really enjoy the video's.I served an apprentice blacksmith for the railways here in New Zealand which was five years then served for another fifteen years until they closed our shop an we were made redundant. We forged the spiking hammers the same as in the clip of old tool review these were forged under a 15CWT Massey Harris steam hammer. There was a similar hammer with a handle earlier in the clip we also made these for driving spikes in lighter rails. The hex blanks you thought were for hammers look very much like the drifts we used for making box spanners, you would drive the tapered end into a piece of heavy walled pipe until it came up on to the flat part then working it under the power hammer on the flats until you made the hex box end. Hope this is of help keep up the great work and I look forward to the next installment cheers Rod Kraal, South Canterbury, New Zealand
My dad was born in 1902 and was a blacksmith, mule skinner, and carpenter. Worked in the sawmill business his whole life. I lost him when I was just 11 yrs old, so I never reaped his knowledge but the his genes were passed to me and I am thankful very day for that. He built the first 8 wheel log wagon any one around here has ever seen in person.
My grandfather was a boilermaker local 92 out of Los Angeles. Did that work for 40 years. He once told me that rail houses were the worse to work in. Very dirty which is saying a lot considering he also worked in refineries too. When he first started in a shop he would go to work in a suit and jacket, change at the shop into his work cloths, they had showers there and after work would get back into his suit and head home. He worked a lot in the ship yards on Long Beach but also work in the Mohave desert at sears lake.
My grandfather worked as armed security at the switch yards of Russell, KY. Those switch yards were the largest in the world at the time. Check out some old photos of those yards in Russell, it's amazing how huge they really were. They also had the turntables you spoke of, for moving trains around the yard.
The story of the Gandy dancers is fascinating. Their work and their songs are amazing.
Essential Craftsman I swung a spike maul quite a bit 20+ years ago. You are right about someone starting them and the man with the maul setting them. Always stay a rail or two ahead of the maul. If he missed the spike and hit the rail, your bell will be ringing for hours. Great video!
One of my friend's grandfather was a railmaster for the Canadian National Railways. Well after his retirement (and walking with a cane), he was still proud to drive rail spikes in with a single blow. All retainment walls at his cabins where made of discarded dormers and rails. Let me tell you that I was careful to not angry that man. Keep up your excellent work!
My Mother's Father was a section foreman for Southern Pacific at the beginning of the Depression. He was demoted back to a section hand in order to keep his job. His track gang carried him until he could get back in good enough physical shape to carry his weight. He told me that story with a catch in hi throat at how proud he was of those men and the respect they had for him.
I picked up a couple in a farm auction a few years ago. So glad to have them sitting in my shop. Thoroughly enjoys the videos, as always.
Long runs are done with machines now, but for the everyday line maintenance like I do we still drive with the spike mauls. You get very good at making new handles before you get decent at swinging one. You break it, you make it.
I found one of those hammerheads while picking up scrap metal. Mine is marked Tamco. What an amazing piece of equipment.
My Dad put in 43 years on the Great Northern and the Burlington Northern as a freight conductor until he retired. He always had a lot of respect for the track crews, "Gandy Dancers." He always said its "Tough work for tough people." As a young man, I spent 8 years in the truck gang, welding and repairing trucks and worn draft gear pockets on the engines. It's big iron and requires big equipment. That was hard work, but nothing like pounding spikes till you puke. Good video
You can see working railroad car turntables (sort of) on Powell St. in San Francisco. The Powell St. cable car runs between Mason St., near Fisherman's Wharf, up over a hill and down to Market St. in the downtown section. Where it stops at both ends, it is is turned around by on a manually-pushed turntable, right in the street, to catch the parallel set of tracks, load passengers, and go back up the hill the opposite direction. The single cable cars are nowhere near the size of full-size train locomotives, and there are no attached side tracks or repair galleys, but it's still cool to see.
blacksmithing was before what we have today as=welding--they were highly sought after and it took hard hot work to make things and repair things--this I know first hand as my grandfather was a blacksmith for =Alloy Metal plant in Alloy West Virginia and have many of his tool he made--its a dieing valuable craft and not many can master this but IF they do they are a gem.
I work track crew for a short line in Massachusetts. I use a spike maul daily. There is no better tool than my maul. Hot or cold, rain or shine, that bad boy does the job.
Very cool video thank you for putting this together! We actually still forge railroad tools 100% in the USA from USA sourced materials. We still make these railroad spike mauls for jobs across North America.
My Grandfather retired from the railroad in Roseville California, he worked their for one 30 years pulling cars and maintaining tracks. He was a crazy strong man till the day he died. They used to call him Yogi because he wore the same hat and was hilarious. I built a few anvils from pieces of track he gave me and all sorts of tools from old steaks and ties.
I have a old dozer track pin hammer and it looks just like that. Has two pin sizes on it . Works great to with the accompanying 16 lb hammer.
you sir speak nothing but inspiring words due to appreciate of good ol' hard work. thank you for your addicting content
For your next video you should forge a spike maul out of one of those hammer blanks. My grandfather worked for UP and he always called them rail hammers. The odd thing is still today when they repair tracks they still have to drive all the spikes by hand. I'm not sure but they might even have to still lay new track by hand too.
Idk why but I love how he chucks whatever hes done with on the floor
I live very close to tracks and have found probably ten of those spike hammers laying around.
I wondered for a while why there were so many just thrown down and left when they were still in great condition............ UNTIL I tried using one ! 😣
Nice collection you have there Scott ! 😊
Thanks for sharing and take care. 👍
The yellow stripers (new guys) hate them because they can't use them correctly. The first time I double spiked the old head (old gandy dancer) that was teaching me would miss every time I missed. After about 5 misses in a row, sweat beading off me, I looked at him a little angry and he smiled and said "I am not going to do all the work by myself kid"
My family helped build the train station in Ferguson, MO for the Wabash train line. Nice to learn about the tools that they used!
I can't wait to hear about Bill. I love your storytelling.
This is a great lesson on old hand tools. Thank you
Those are indeed 10 pound 'Bell patern' spike mauls. There used to be three manufacturers, all american firms, that made them. Woodings-Verona in Verona, Pa., Warwood Tool in Wheeling, Wv., and Tamco out of Bethel Park, Pa. Tamco still forges those tools today. Originally gorged from carbon steel, then a higher strenght alloy steel, and today forged from an S5, Grade B alloy steel. The tool is liquid quenched and tempered to a specific Burnell (spelling?) hardness, all conforming to AREMA specifications. Worked 40 plus years for a railroad tool distribution firm and demonstrated 'spiking' many times.
Just piked up one of these at an estate sale this morning, great video!
I grew up near railroad roundhouse. They were amazing buildings for amazing machines. I love it. Nice vid. Thank you.
Thanks, I learn so much watching your videos. I had no idea there were such tools specific to RR work.
I've seen enough of you to say; Your heart is like a tree. It branches out through generations. Care is the soil upon which you thrive. Your spirit is encouraging. Well done.
My home is built where the local roundhouse used to be, and even though we dropped a foot or so of fill and then topsoil on the leveled ground, whenever digging for posts or garden boxes - I still find hammer handles, railroad spikes, etc.
It's interesting to know precisely what the hickory "dowels" actually went to, back in the day!
Your'e a man after my own heart. I seen those hammers at Taylor Yard in LA in the late 70s when I worked for SP for a few years
I passed through your part of Oregon a couple weeks ago and I smiled and wondered what you were up to? thanks for the videos you are an amazing story teller and get my imagination wondering everytime you talk about the old smiths and such.
If the makers mark is a W over a V it is Woodings Verona Tool Co. Those 2 spike mauls are factory made.. They are what is called "Bell pattern" as they are round on both ends.
My grandfather operated one of those hammers building the railroad. To his dying day he had arms as big around as my body (mild hyperbole). Years after retiring he was still hard as nails.
Got 2 of these. One was my grandfather's and the other I acquired at some point (old American made). Almost reforged one into a hammer eye punch but couldn't bring myself to do it, just too cool of a piece to hang on to.
Thank you S.W.
I grew up on the Illinois Central RR that runs from Chicago to New Orleans. My dad worked on the ICRR. Fulton, KY had a round house. You are correct, those are spike hammers. They were pretty much antiques though by early 60's, as steam powered machines were used for all but the small repair jobs.
I got 3 brand new ones in the back of the truck and my 30 year old one my partner gave me when he retired. Pretty sure we use them every day. You have to set the spikes before you use the hydraulic spike hammer to drive them or the other ones jump out to the hole. Then sometimes you can't get the power pack to the work location, and other times you do it for fun and to try and beat the other guy in contests... We have to make our own fun now. If you really want to drive spikes you use a kershaw hammer machine that has 4 hammers on it and you run it like a video game, but those are only for production teams.
MIMisguided I'm sure your totally correct. I'm 68, my information was 50 years old, railroads may have been at their peak in 1968. The trains are missed by many of us.
Worked as a roundhouse Forman. I think spike mauls went out with the gandy dancer on most class one railroads. Round houses too.
my Dad worked tie gang for Conrail in the late 70s, he still has his hammer. He said that some of the rail gang veterans would have guys set the spikes and then they would walk the rail, hammer in each hand, and spike both sides of the same rail. he said that if you couldn't cover up your hammer blows with the head of a dime, you still needed practice. i know that Ive never seen anyone able to effortlessly swing a sledge in a fluid circular motion like my Dad, drive home spikes and not get tired-Ive never been able to quite emulate it myself
Have you ever been to Promontory, Utah where the Golden Spike is? Meeting of the East and West with rails. Pretty impressive. There is a place south of Snowville Utah where people say you can hear strange things at night. It is the Chinese railroad workers singing and pinging. I have never heard it, but very reliable friends of mine have. Supposedly. AWESOME!!!! I am so glad to be able to call you and yours "Friends" It really is a pleasure to know you!!!
I work for Bnsf out of bend. Go ahead and handle one of those and try to drive a spike with it. It’s impressive how some guys can spike. Although they don’t do it a whole lot anymore other than local section crews.
My Great Grand Father was a blacksmith in East Tennessee for the railroad In Erwin, Tennessee! I have his forge and anvil ! Your assumption On the round house is correct!...
I love to hear the stories of them days as well,,Thanks
Another good one. I have one of the post hammers you showed and had no idea what it was for but I have used it to drive 2x4 stakes so guess It was self explanatory. With out a clue as usual in my life. Keep on keeping on.
The energy transfer is more efficient by the head being the same size as the nail as well as the advantages you said.
Love _all_ the stories you tell, thank you!
Loved that protractor! Had to order one . Thank you sir !
I was hired on the railway 21 years ago as a heavy equipment operator. The spike hammer was one of the first pieces of heavy equipment I was made familiar with. You would not believe how far a spike flies when you don't hit it square and it doesn't penetrate the hardwood tie.
How it's done ua-cam.com/video/6fsfyWB6arw/v-deo.htmlm35s
There’s a beautiful working railroad turn house in Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village in Dearborn Michigan. I just saw it a couple weeks ago. It’s definitely worth seeing.
May 9th, 2019 Union Pacific 4014 "Big Boy" meets UP 844 in Ogden Utah! 150th anniversary of the Golden Spike. Awesome video! You really have something special here on UA-cam. One of my top favorite channels.
If you have never heard Canadian Railroad Trilogy sung by Gordon Lightfoot, try it .. an amazing story of building the miles of rail to span a country.
Like you I was more interested in reading about the Mountain men than the RR that spelled the end to that era. I mistakenly left Lewis & Clark's expedition to last , knowing it was written for a report to the President ( Jefferson) and thinking it would be boring . Boy was I wrong !
Love old tools
I’ve been to Golden Spike. Middle of nowhere (Promontory, UT). So far away it’s where rocket propellant is tested and Autoliv (airbag manufacturer) makes their explosive propellant).
absolutely incredible
I work for a railroad company that still does railroad construction the old fashion way by hand in West Virginia in coal mine on their above and below ground tracks and how we do it is a man stand across the rail and two on the same side of the rail adjacent of one and other on the spike side. The man across from the spike sets the the spike by a single hit about one to two inches deep then one of the men on the other side hits it then the other and finally if it's a ideal situation the first man drives it flush with the third hit. That way each man only has to swing once to keep from gutting a man. Back it the old days to even get a job with railroad you had to be able to set a spike and then drive it in three hits with a spiking maul the hammer you speaking about. They come in three sizes from what I seen personally a 8lbs, 10lbs, and a 12lbs. The 8lb has head on one side about the size of a nickel and then the other is about quarter size. The 10lb has a quarter and half dollar sized head. The 12lb has both sides a half dollar sized head the are used as actual driving hammer where now days they have been replaced my machinery. Where the 8 and 10 are still widely used by railroad company's today for working in tight spaces where machine and hydraulic and pneumatic drives can't reach like in switch point or on a emergency derailment that you don't have time to transport equipment. I use one everyday but our company still does it like in the old days because we mainly do little patches here and there and it doesn't make financial sense to transport equipment to just replace a spot that takes by man power just one day to complete. So that why we still use all three sizes where I work and our hammer are so old the have actual maker marks from smiths on them where the was handmade. Also if you not aware spiking mauls are a hard steel than your normal hammer if your not accurate when swinging you can actual crack the rail right down center that's why rail company's like CN has made it where you are banned from swing across the ball of the rail you now must swing from the same side of the rail as the spike.
The 10 stamped on the maul means it's a 10 pound hammer. Spiking by hand isn't bad once you learn how to spike, and find your groove. I worked as M of W for 10 years. We did everything by hand.
I have one that I use to drive pins out of heavy equipment. Definitely a life saver in my world.
I like you, really enjoy old tools also. The stories behind them? Who made them? And for what exact job? Who was the owner of that tool and for how long? Were they kept in the family and handed down from generation to generation??? Love to restore a great old tool. Thank you for your very informative and enjoyable videos. 👍👍👍😎🇨🇱 ps can’t wait to get building!
If you ever get a chance to see the old guys track lining and setting spikes it's impressive.
where are they still doing that?
Dan H at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina. They only do this during festivals and the last time I saw it the guys were seriously old so who knows if they’ll do it again. I know I won’t be able to swing a maul like that when I’m that old. Of course I can’t now!
You should fit it with a beautiful hickory handle, wood finished to perfection, blue the head, fresh grind the strike faces to bright metal, oil it up, hang it on the wall to honor its history. I love these videos. Perhaps one day, I will have the time to pursue blacksmithing.........
Man love your old stuff.pat from Belgium 🔨🔨👊
Read a good book about the Krupp steel dynasty in Germany, known mostly for armament production, but their fortune was made mostly from railroad track production much of which ended up here in the American West.
+scott, you referenced a "single jack" in this video. I was told by an old timer one time when I asked for a single jack that a single jack was the man swinging the hammer on a hand drilling team and the guy turning the drill bit by hand was called the "cousin jack". Have you ever heard of that before. Just wanted to say thanks for a great channel...also did you ever sell that old at rig you purchased
"Cousin Jack" was the nickname given to the Cornish folks that came to America to work. You hear that alot with the Cornish that came to the US to work the mines.
Thanks for another video.
My great grandfather worked on the railroad in the 1800s and I have some of his tools.
We have an old railroad roundhouse in our town! Very neat!
(Please see my apologies in below reply)
Scott
I started watching you because you are one of the best men
that do and teach CONSTRUCTION.
WHERE IS YOUR CONSTRUCTION GOING -
Have not seen it in a while Sir.
I’ll be back when you do CONSTRUCTION!
Essential Craftsman
If you look at my post on that episode You will see my kid words of support.
Please forgive me for letting your mom’s situation slip my mind.
It is summer and have been busy.
I surely do not desire to be insensitive nor hurtful.
May I suggest you mention or update us regulars
and your new viewers that you are on time out.
Many unaware viewers will click elsewhere when they do not get what they came for.
I get some in your family desire privacy and You Owe That to Them...
Just one sentence to remind us and tell others,
and Maybe refer us/them back to your full explanation.
I hope your son’s project is not suffering as some projects have time limits.
Peace be with you and your family!!!
Lots of posts, so hopefully I didn’t miss it, but the folks laying and maintaining the rails were called “Gandy Dancers.” Maybe they still are… Some references call that long, narrow hammer a Gandy, and other references say the Gandy was the long bar used to nudge a rail over to the proper spot.
I think the name Gandy Dancers got their name from the tools. They were made by a company by the name of Gandy. The dancer part I was told came from the men kind of singing or chanting and moving to keep a steady rythum to make the work easier. That's what I heard. Wasn't there.
I own two of these, very cool tool.
My family used to have one we got rid of it before I started making stuff and collecting tools, wish I had it now.
What I was told by an old railroader is that the guys that swung those were called Gandy dancer and their name comes from the tools that they were using that were manufactured by the Gandy tool company of Chicago.
I actually have one of the spike mauls with the original handle. It is very old and sometimes I seem to feel the blows its landed.
My grandfather worked as a blacksmith at the Southern Pacific roundhouse in San Luis Obispo, California back before WWI. He and his five brothers all got jobs with the SPRR because their father, my great-grandfather, died a hero at the throttle of a passenger locomotive in Oakland.
You're welcome. Too bad this comment section won't accept photos. I have a couple neat ones of my great grandfather and my grandfather...