OLDEST RAIL on Railpictures? Left to rust in the New Hampshire woods is what I believe to be the oldest stick of rail portrayed on this site. Perhaps it is the rarest, too. The St. Albans Iron and Steel Works started production in 1873 in Vermont. Historical records indicate the facility had both both gone bankrupt and been sold by 1884. This specimen reads: "ST ALBANS 1880 VT," and it appears to be either 45-pound or 60-pound rail. This particular piece was used as a gauntlet rail on the old Franklin & Tilton Railroad in central New Hampshire. It is the only example of a full stick of St. Albans rail known among regional railroad historians to still exist. (Corrections are welcome.) The last train rolled down this line under B&M control in 1973. The line was then abandoned. It has since been turned into a public bike path. Surprisingly, almost all of the rail remains in place, either underneath the existing path or immediately alongside of the trail.
