I'll meet David's hand (the starter of this thread), and raise (lower?) his bet by 99 years. I shot these photos in 2006 in Longmont, CO along the east end of BN's small vestigial ex-Colorado & Southern freight yard. Both rails are now over 100 years old, yet still in service on a class 1 railroad (though in an unfashionable back corner of a little-used yard.)
1906, out of service? Not yet. This was shot 100 years after the foundry work.
1892, and the railhead was still nicely polished 114 years later in 2006.
Of course, these are little used rails that may occasionally receive a freight car shoved a little farther than intended. But the rails still serve the original purpose and show polishing from use.
Please take the poker analogy as well-intended fun. It is amazing how well rails hold up over the years and can serve perfectly well long after highway asphalt and pavement decomposes, and even before there was a notion of a highway made of anything more than dirt and rock. 20 years seems an eternity in today's world. 100 years seriously messes with my mind. Eternity...
