hairpin railroad spike use?

[Albert in N]

  Looking at my collection of railroad spikes, there are two hairpin spikes given to me back in the early 1970s by a Santa Fe modeler.  The other spikes are ones I picked up on a Rock Island branch after track restoration, a wooden spike (used when spiking back into a tie), and two small worn spikes from a Katy (MKT) Oklahoma branch line.  What were hairpin spikes used for and are they still used on wooden track tie railroads?

[Mark5]

Interesting - they look like giant cotter pins to me.

Mark

[ednadolski]

What were hairpin spikes used for

Really big hair styles?

[Albert in N]

   I may have come close to answering my own question by checking both Google and Bing.  From looking at my hairpin spikes, it appears that removal would be easier than a conventional spike in temporary spiking situations.  Probably Santa Fe track crews used various ways to do the job by overcoming fussy spikes coming loose at the same location.  I do remember a Santa Fe guy telling me that the wooden spike used to hammer into an enlarged tie hole before hammering another iron spike was used only when inspectors were present.  They normally simply dropped in a handful of sand and then hammered in the spike.  The same man told me that the sand actually held better.  Anyway, here is the hairpin spike link I found:

 http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~garfinkm/Spike.html

[Hawghead]

Albert,

Very interesting article on the hairpin and self securing spikes.  As to whether or not they are currently used, I've never seen one on the mainline, sidings, spurs or in the yard.  I would guess that they'd be very hard to remove when it came time to replace a tie.

Scott

[Albert in N]

The iron hairpin spikes in my photo would not spread outward much, if at all.  They are iron, not spring steel.  Also, they have a loop eye open at the top where a tool could latch into them to remove.  The self securing spikes are a different product.   Unfortunately, I could not find anything else discussing the iron hairpin spikes.  Maybe they were a Santa Fe thing since they came from ATSF employees who belonged to our local model railroading club in Lubbock TX back in the early 1970s.   

[Spades]

WAG,  To secure cable or wiring next to the rail?

[nkalanaga]

Temporary signal bonding after a wreck, when they didn't have the proper welding equipment for a permanent fix?  Drive one of these through the tie plate. on either side of the joint, with a wire in the loop?

[draskouasshat]

Temporary signal bonding after a wreck, when they didn't have the proper welding equipment for a permanent fix?  Drive one of these through the tie plate. on either side of the joint, with a wire in the loop?

Nope. Definitely not signal related.
They're just a spike that was used in place of regular spikes. Ive only seen them in use on some old a$$ switches. My guess is a cost savings so a regular spike only had to be used up next to the base of the rail. These were only used in the outer holes of the tire plates to secure them to the tie from what ive seen.

Drasko

[nkalanaga]

OK, securing tieplates to ties would be a practical use.  All you need there is something to keep it from sliding, as it isn't going to lift or turn over, and a bent piece of iron/steel bar would be much simpler, and cheaper, than a regular spike.

[Albert in N]

Not sure if this two hole plate is a tie plate, but the hair pin spikes fit perfectly.  Pictures of top and underside follow.  Also, there are two rail anchors and small, medium, and regular spikes for added interest.  Thanks for looking!

[nkalanaga]

It doesn't look like any tieplate I've ever seen, but it could be a very old one.

[Albert in N]

Thinking back over 40 years ago, I found this tie plate (?), a part of a broken similar tie plate, and the small spikes near the MKT branch line Wichita Falls TX to Altus OK.  This line originally ran Wichita Falls TX to Woodward OK and on into the Oklahoma Panhandle.  It used jointed light rail (75 pound?) and the ties mostly rested on packed dirt with little ballast or rock.  In the steam era, 4-4-0 Americans and 2-6-0 moguls ruled.  Later, GP-7s ruled.  Now, the track is heavier and ballasted, but ends at Altus OK.  Short line WT&J Railway operates it.  Here are more photos. 

[nkalanaga]

So it is a very old tie plate.  I wonder if there are any like it along the old D&RGW narrow gauge lines?  Many of them used 75 lb, or smaller, rail their entire life.