Here's a pair of tongs I made from some couple of round bars that were slightly larger than 5/8ths of an inch in diameter. The jaws of these tongs are fit for 1/2 an inch.

The project these are for will be a splitting froe.
(seen here from a book by Eric Sloane https://thepatriotwoodwiki.org/dl521?display )

That large hunk of steel there is a section of tie plate. The thing that lies under the actual rail itself with the spikes driven into the 4 square holes.

I've got about 7 of the blasted things because neighbor of mine dropped them off at my house.

I found that tie plates are made of a decent steel that can be hardened unlike most rail spikes and if you cut the things into slices you'll have plenty of material.

I wouldn't recommend going to a rail way and grabbing them. Unless, like, you ask or something and bribe the railworkers to bring home some garbage.