Dave wrote:
I occasionally happen across bits of railroad track and mounting
plates. Is any of this stuff machinable?
http://home.att.net/~galt_57/railroad.jpg

I don't know how much of it is still around but years ago I remember
trying to use track plates and spikes that were so old that they were
made of wrought (forged) iron instead of steel. They were difficult if
not impossible to cut with an acetylene torch and welds often broke
because of the laminar structure.
Engineman1