Antique pieces from a rail road track

[jameson41straight]

I recently picked up an old piece of railroad track from an antique dealer in LA and im hoping someone can help identify it. From the looks of it, it's the smaller cross-section next to a modern rail. Its size and shape seem to match the A.S.C.E. "section index 841." I'm mainly curious about what this type of rail was typically used for and which railroads may have used it. Any insight would be appreciated!

 

[rail.jersey]

Might not be easy to know which railroads used them, it really varied, some regional and industrial lines favored these smaller profiles because they were cheaper and fit the lighter loads better, f you can find any maker's marks or dates stamped on the base, that could help narrow down the origin

 

[FollowTheLeader]

I'm not an expert, but I'm guessing the small cross section means it might have been used in a mine or a mill?

 

[jameson41straight]

Might not be easy to know which railroads used them, it really varied, some regional and industrial lines favored these smaller profiles because they were cheaper and fit the lighter loads better, f you can find any maker's marks or dates stamped on the base, that could help narrow down the origin

Thanks, that makes sense, didnt realize how much variation there was between lines. I'll take a closer look for any stamps or markings on the base. Are there any common spots or styles of markings i should be looking for? I'd love to narrow it down if possible.

I'm not an expert, but I'm guessing the small cross section means it might have been used in a mine or a mill?

Good thought! Ill take note of this and do my research again