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A rail spike (also known as a cut spike or crampon) is a large nail with an offset head that is used to secure rails and base plates to railroad ties (sleepers) in the track. Robert Livingston Stevens is credited with the invention of the rail spike, [ 6 ] the first recorded use of which was in 1832. [ 7 ]
The original "golden spike", on display at the Cantor Arts Museum at Stanford University. The Golden Spike (also known as The Last Spike [1]) is the ceremonial 17.6-karat gold final spike driven by Leland Stanford to join the rails of the first transcontinental railroad across the United States connecting the Central Pacific Railroad from Sacramento and the Union Pacific Railroad from Omaha on ...
Spike mauls are akin to sledge hammers, typically weighing from 8 to 12 pounds (4 to 5 kg) with handles 30 to 36 inches (80 to 90 cm) long. They have elongated double faced hardened steel heads. The head is typically over 12 inches (30 cm) long to allow the user to drive spikes on the opposite side of the rail without breaking the handle.
The Northern Pacific Railroad Completion Site is the location of the golden spike ceremony for the completion of the Northern Pacific Railway (NP) in 1883. The site is located near Gold Creek in Powell County, Montana off of Interstate 90, [2] approximately 59 miles (95 km) southeast of Missoula and 40 miles (64 km) west of Helena.
Train wheels rolling over the spikes loosened them, allowing the rail to break free and curve upwards sufficiently that a car wheel could get beneath it and force the end of the rail up through the floor of the car, writhing and twisting, endangering passengers. These broken rails became known as "snake heads". [14]
A worker will periodically add fresh spikes to the chutes as needed to keep the machine supplied. On larger spikers, spikes are supplied from a feed bin, eliminating the need to add spikes by hand. [3] Railroad workers operate the machine by directing the rams and moving the spiker, which is usually self-propelled and powered by a diesel engine.
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The circumstance of the CPR's last spike ceremony led several spikes to assume the honour of being the "last spike". [5] In contrast to the ceremonial gold or silver final spikes often used to mark the completion of other major railways, the CPR's "last spike" was a conventional iron spike identical to the many others used in the construction of the line.