A railroad tie plate has a generally prismatic body including a field side flange and a gauge side flange connected by an intermediate portion. The intermediate portion includes a rail seat for positioning a railroad rail. At least one of the flanges includes a protrusion extending in a thickness dimension of the tie plate. A hole extends into the at least one protrusion so as to receive a retaining device, such as an e-clip. The tie plate is made by hot forging, having a microstructure comprising pearlite and alpha-ferrite. The net shape of the tie plate may be achieved by forging without subsequent material addition and without subsequent material removal.