Some non-railroad stuff I've been up to

[nachoman]

With that hard facing you should be able to build up points, frogs, and rail joints.
I used to like building up joints, it wasn't really welding, it was like just seeing how much rod you could burn.

Yep. The rod I was using is a high chrome for abrasion resistance. As I understand it, they make different rods for metal-to-metal wear. Welding is a very useful and money-saving skill. I haven't figured out why, but the whole rod would glow red if I tried burning the whole thing without stopping. The mild steel rids I am used to don't get that hot.