Railroad rail comes in various weights per standard length (foot?). the really heavy main line stuff approaches 40 - 80 pounds, so a few feet can really weigh a bit.

If you are lucky enough to acquire some 'tram track' - it is different. Rail line is mostly symmetrical, but with wear you can see one side of the profile is different. Tram track allow the wheels to run in a groove on top of the rail, so you have a ready shaped work hardened surface with a rounded groove on the top for some sorts of shaping.

In Australia, it is not unusual to bolt down the anvil to a lump of 'iron bark' wood buried several feet in the ground and raised up enough to give a good working height - this can weigh several hundred pounds. It also gives a little 'life' to the resultant anvil, especially if the steel is under 100 pounds.

Aussie 'iron bark' wood is a very dense eucalyptus, 'iron wood' similar woods exist in the US. BTW, the bark of the iron bark tree burns so hot (the oil), that it is used to fit steel tyres on wooden rims - lay the ring on the ground, stack some bark chunks around the steel, light them, and in about 20 mins the steel is red hot. Cool, huh? :-)

Robin
A 'New Renaissance Man' dabbler....