Hunting old RR tracks

[txbluzman]

Gents,

Have any of you had any experience or luck hunting old RR track sites? I might have the opportunity to hunt a lengthy stretch of old RR track (tracks pulled up years ago) and I was wondering if I should hunt the exat spot the rails were located or off to the side of them? Would it be worth hunting at all?

 

[johnnywilliamson]

It might be more worth it to you to research where the stations/depots were along the tracks you are interested in. These were the areas where people congregated most along the tracks over time and where the odds would be greater in finding worthwhile targets, versus the odds of finding something valuable being dropped somewhere along a random stretch of track. Just my opinion. You could also profit by keeping an eye out for glass insulators on or beneath old telephone/telegraph poles/lines which paralleled railroads back in the day. Many of them are quite valuable, plus come in a lot of cool colors (after being exposed to the sun for many decades) - I searched for and collected these when I was in my teens. Good luck nevertheless in your hunts. Johnny

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Too much work for me hard ground and iron bad combination.Ron

 

[dewcon4414]

Ive hunted a few in AZ looking for tokens and gold coins from a railroad robbery. Its tuff hunting, like was said the dirt is hard, rocky, and the railroad throws trash everywhere. I did pick up a couple of silver quarters and in town youd be amazed how many flattened coins you will find from people putting them on the tracks. It deffently is a place rarely hunted and with history. Im not sure how much youd find walking out in never never land where few ventured. You never know what you might find on the path less traveled.

Dew

 

[magpies]

Yes, I detect them in Australia, usually around the old stations. I have found some nice bits and pieces and on one occasion last year found, at an abandoned station in South Australia, a container that was part of a world-wide GPS treasure hunt. I left a message in the container and returned it to its hiding place. Lots of fun. I use an Xterra 70 and only dig + signals or any signal that reads -2 or -4. (-6 and -8 are ignored/blocked) As others have said though, very very noisy and you have to be patient. The fun is also in the research of the lines/stations. Good Hunting.