Screw spikes are fixed into a hole bored in the sleeper.

At the present time, the screw spike is being used widely in place of the hooked spike.

The screw spike was first introduced in 1860 in France (French tire-fond), and became common in continental Europe.

Fastening - Baseplate based with Screw spikes (Old) and Tension Clamp (New, Rebuilt and High-speed lines)

The screw spike has a higher cost to manufacture than the rail spike but has the advantage of greater fixing power; approximately twice that of a rail spike and can be used in combination with spring washers.

The original pine railroad ties only lasted about a year, and had to be replaced with ties made of lignum vitae, a wood so hard that they had to drill the ties before driving in the screw spikes.