In article , R.H.
wrote:

829. Railroad hammer

http://pzphotosan145t-5.blogspot.com/

"829. This hammer was made for use on the railroad, the left end could
be used for prying spikes, but I don't know exactly what the back end
of the head was for."

Okay, I'll challenge.

Having driven countless spikes while working on a railroad section gang
(with a good old-fashioned spike maul, not by machine), I will state
without hesitation that this tool had absolutely nothing to do with
track spikes.

A spike puller (a "claw bar") is over five feet long, made of solid
steel, and weighs about 30 pounds. Its usage is counterintuitive, and
many a rookie has been laughed at while dangling off the end of the
bar, trying to budge a spike through leverage alone.

http://noframes.harmersteel.com/cata...tracktools.htm

The hammer pictured may have been used on a railroad, but it would have
been in the roundhouse, not maintenance-of-way.

Kevin