Errata for Date Nails and Railroad Tie Preservation

This page gives corrections for the first and second printings. If your edition says "Third Printing (with minor corrections), November 1999" on the title page, go back and click on "errata---third printing"

First, note that there are several typographical mistakes in the text, but their corrections are obvious.

Volume I, page 92.

Algoma Central & Hudson Bay. Add an 80 to the last line of nails. The dates should read 61-80,82. Ed Biedenharn got some unused 80's from an employee. These came from an AC\&HB building. None have been found yet in ties, but they are probably out there, along with 81's.

Also add a reference to AC&HB to the 80 in the reverse listing, Volume III, page 192.

Volume I, page 96.

The Atlantic Coast Line code nails are type (18C). The line should read

2 x 3/16 rnd R stl (18C) 0-6.,7-9. (Set #30)

Change this also on page 128 of Volume III.

Volume I, page 175.

Under Grand Trunk, the line

1 1/2 x 3/16 cut R stl (05?) 34,35

should read

1 3/4 x 3/16 cut R stl (05) 34-36

I had never seen one of these before. Don Blake gave me the 36. Add the 36 and adjust the dimensions of these nails to Volume III pages 14 and 157.

Volume II, page 217.

The Michigan Central code nail

2 x 5/16 rnd I stl (01) 0

is type (07), not (01). The nail should be

2 x 5/16 rnd I stl (07) 0

That means it is surely a code nail and not a date. Also change the type on page 133 of Volume III.

Volume II, page 220.

Eliminate the nail

1 3/4 x 3/16 rnd R gm stl (07) 35

from the Milwaukee Road list. This nail does not exist. Likewise eliminate it from the photo section (Volume III, page 29. Of course I lacked the photo!) and from the reverse listing (Volume III, page 174).

Volume II, page 231.

Add the nail

1 1/4 rnd R stl (17) 31:b

to the Missouri-Kansas-Texas list. This nail goes on the same line as the 31,32,35. The number style is identical to the second 31 on page 43 of Volume III. The 1" 31:b needs to be added to the photo section on page 44 of Volume III, and to the reverse listing on page 182 of Volume III.

Volume II, page 234.

The Monon 08 and 9 are misrepresented in the book. The list of nails should look like this:

2 1/2 x 1/4 rnd I              stl (07) 08:c,9.,10:c
     From the Lafayette test section
2 1/2 x 1/4 rnd I              stl (07) 12

Also, delete the comment at the top of page 235 regarding the Monon 9.

Naturally the references in the reverse listing need to be changed also. Eliminate Monon from the 9th line on page 165 of Volume III (the "9.") and add Monon to the "9." on page 161 (14th nail from the bottom).

On the same page eliminate Monon from the 08 and add it to the 08:c.

Volume II page 247.

New York, Susquehanna & Western.
On the second line of nails from the bottom (2 1/2 x 1/4 rnd R stl (07)) add a 52.
The dates should read 31,40,42,44,45,52-54,57. Also add a reference to the NYS&W
(sh) to the reverse listing, Volume III, page 171.

Volume II, page 248.

The Nickel Plate nail

2 1/2 x 1/4 rnd R mi (11) 26

should be

2 x 3/16 rnd R mi (11) 26

Also, take "NiPl" out of the list of railroads for the former nail on page 180 of Volume III and add it to the listing for the latter nail on the next page.

Volume II, page 258.

Under Pennsylvania RR, the measurement of the nails

2 x 1/4 rnd I mi (13) R/09, G/10, H/10, P/10, R/10, G/11, H/11, P/11, R/11

should be

2 x 3/16.

The shanks are for the most part a little thinner than 3/16. I was steered wrong because [Lewis] shows one which seems to be 1/4". The diameter should also be changed on page 96 of Volume III.

Volume II, page 287.

Under Santa Fe,

2 1/2 x 1/4 sqr R rs stl (17) 40

should be

2 1/2 x 1/4 sqr R stl (17) 40

The nail has a square shank, not a round shank.

This also needs to be corrected at the photo on page 44 of Volume III, and in the reverse listing on page 182 of Volume III (cross out ``rs'' on the fifth line from the bottom).

Volume II, page 293.

In the middle of the page, the paragraph beginning "The sqr R (07) 17..." should read "The sqr I (07) 17...''. The nail has indented numbers.

Volume II, page 320.

Southern Pacific test sections. Eliminate all six 1903 test sections. The 1917 list from which I took these mistook the OSL for the SP. These are really Oregon Short Line tests. In fact, I already have them under OSL, from other sources.

Volume II, page 330.

Union Pacific. On the fourth line of nails I have 10:c listed twice. It is only supposed to be there once.

Volume III, page 21.

Eliminate the nail

2 1/2 x 1/4 rnd I GM stl (07) 12:b

It is just a minor variation on the 12:a, and I did not include it in the Santa Fe list on page 287 of Volume II.

Volume III, page 126.

Code set #21 is type (07), not (06).

Volume III, page 144.

2 1/2 x 1/4 sqr I stl (07) 35

is type (05), not (07). The nail is really

2 1/2 x 1/4 sqr I stl (05) 35

Back to the Resources Page