Brian's Special Spike

To celebrate the Transcontinental Railroad's 150th anniversary, here is my very own genuine railroad spike. For the uninitiated, steel spikes are used to hold the steel rails to wooden ties, which are rectangular logs seen between the rails. Last autumn, we stopped by some railroad tracks that are perpendicular to Light Street and alongside Interstate 95 in Baltimore. We couldn't find any trains passing through, but a Baltimore Ravens fan snuck onto the tracks and kindly handed me an old, rusty spike. Yes, it does look dirty, but I wanted to share this photo anyway. I can recall from a few years ago when I once had a golden spike that was actually a chocolate spike in a gold wrapper. I hope I'll have another one of these special candies this year to consider the day when the golden spike was driven as the very last spike for the Transcontinental Railroad. I'm so happy to own a real railroad artifact in time for this commemoration! Happy railroading!

Your trainspotting friend, Brian