What are those things from?

[Anonymous]

I have a level crossing on my farm. From time to time, I see a chunk of stuff that I guess gets knocked off a locomotive by the wooden planks that make up the crossing. I will do my best to describe what I am talking about.

They look like grindings from metal. They are stuck together in one solid mass. The shapes vary, but normally come to a dull point on one end. On the other end, you can see a smooth shape from where they came from, or to which they were once attached. For their size, they are heavy. If I pick them up and drop them on the ballast, they may break apart, and sometimes they don't.

I would appreciate some help here, but I will tell you what my guess is, and hopefully someone will tell me if I am right or not.

I think they may be the residue of what comes out from the sanders, used to apply traction to the wheel at a start. OR, they are residue from when the brakes are applied. Something like brake dust from a brake on an automobile.

Can't send a pic. Don't have a digital camara.
Anyone know?

[csxengineer98]

sounds like rail fileings...
csx engineer

[mudchicken]

Sounds like the waste tailings from a rail grinder...."Speno droppings"[:D][:D][:D]

[dehusman]

they are probably not from the engines. They may be some sort of metal waste from a scrap car or slag from a weld.

Dave H.