Pulled a ‘42’ out of a waterlogged tie at MP 77 right after we finished lining this morning, and it had the whole gang arguing… Which roads kept driving date nails the longest, and when did most crews quit the practice?
I’d bet the longest wasn’t a Class I at all — some short lines and MOW test programs kept lettered “treatment” nails going into the early ’70s. @jdavis41, watch for nails with letters or odd shapes; they’re not dates but they show the practice lingered, and bridge timbers on railroad property sometimes carried them even later. If you’re hunting a Class I outlier, check late relay sidings around ATSF/IC yards, but a clean “70” on a mainline tie seems rare.