I think some of you have mentioned

Using these as drowning weights or drags…?

They pick those up with a crane with an electromagnet and load them up to head to the scrap yard. Might be a better idea to sneak a few from somewhere else where no one is a lookin.

I'd be careful. RxR will prosecute.

[video:rumble]https://rumble.com/v2pub56-dumping-rr-ballast.html[/video]

Check this place out,

https://kovalchickcorp.com/otm-1

The Burnham yard is about 20 mi!we from me. They sell most stuff by the pound, but I've bought some things like pipe by the foot.

Not much goes for scrap-especially tie plates.A lot of them are obtained from track upgrades to heavier steel-the salvaged plates and other material is re-used when laying track spurs and sidings.some badly curve worn or damaged rails are sold for scrap,but lots are re - layed in lower classed track.
Even old bent spikes are straightened and re used,unless throat cut.

You can find those plates everywhere along the tracks. They usually just leave them lay when they switch them out.

The local scrap yard has a sign saying no railroad iron bought.

Those plates do make pretty good weights for water sets. Those don't drag out easy.

Best use I've found for them is for the grate in my wood stove. I cut out strips in them for the ashes to fall thru and they seem to last for ever

The fellow that lived next door to me made a very good living buying old rail lines and scraping them .He often had semi truck loads of tie plates stacked up over on his place . He told me that the scrap was not to be sold except to commercial scrap yards and the sales were checked very closely . He also told me I could have all I needed , but I never did take any of them .

Yep, would be great anchors. I only use drags when land trapping and those would be great. I do not drive stakes for anchoring my traps anymore for many reasons.

Those plates along with spike welded through the holes both ways would make a good drag I always thought. I use them for water sets. They used to be laying everywhere but now only the ones they miss. I live near railroad and they pick up piles of them with the big crane and magnet. I had thousands piles by my driveway for a few days but didn’t take any they had collected. I always figured loose ones that were laying here and there were ok to get because they never would. I’d really like to find about 20 window sash weights reasonable.

I have a few of the plates and have used them for both coyote and bobcat to drag down hill away from a road or trail out of view . A traditional drag hangs up too quickly, so might as well just use a stake at that point

RR angle bars and a rubber bungee make a great "set anywhere" bodygrip stand.

I have stashes of tie plates in set locations i have used for many years. I know right where they are at. They will lay flat on the bottom of the creek and will not wash out easy. I used to find tie plates tossed out to the side in the woods of old rail road that was taken out.
With a short piece of #9 wire twisted up thru the spike hole, It makes a pretty good snare support / drag also with hard or concrete bottoms..

I loved rail road plates (single large ones)
Beginning of season wire up about 40 and go the entire season
Sure had good legs hauling them from bridge to bridge
When shifting line car got quite heavy with gear and catch.
Fun watching your partner trying to push the brakes thru the floor trying to stop

I use them for weights. There are piles of them laying around here.

I have a pile of them .
Sold to me from a private factory rail spur when they closed.
I never used them as anticipated.

I'm not sure if my receipt will get me thru a scrap yard.
Probably try sometime and see.