Rail Spike
Location 94
Date: 1980s
Owner: Todd Wilson
Rail Spike (also known as a cut spike or crampon) is a fastener, a large nail with an offset head that is used to secure rails and base plates to railroad ties in the track. "In the early 1900's, Toledo was the third-largest railroad center in the country and the East Side has always had a large portion of those tracks and rail yards. Those who visit East Toledo often complain about frequently being delayed at railroad crossings by passing trains, but East Siders know that the railroads have been the backbone of the industrial success of the area. East Toledo's many railroads were of a two-fold importance to the area. They not only helped supply the community's industries and businesses, but they also employed and provided an excellent income for many workers and their families since the early days of the East Side." 1. My father, Walter W. Wilson (Guy) started working as a fireman on the railroad at the age of 18, three months after graduating from Waite High School in 1955. He would retire 38 years later as a Locomotive Engineer. He was employed by C&O and Chessie System, which later became CSX. Mainly working at the Stanley Yards in Walbridge or the Lake front docks, he worked hard and for very long hours. Although he would pack a lunchbox that looked like he would be gone for days, as a family man with young children, he chose to work close to home rather than over the road jobs, so he could be home each night with his family. This rail spike sits on a shelf in my East Toledo home with other treasured railroad memorabilia. My house is located a block and a half in either direction from the nearest railroad tracks. Hearing the sounds of the whistle and the train rumbling by in the distance has become a comforting sound. Even as I am occasionally delayed at the crossings, I fondly think of my father and the years he spent working on the railroad. 1. Michaels, Larry R. and Ronald J. Mauter. East Toledo at Work, A History of Business and Industry of East Toledo (Bihl House Publishing 2006) p. 57