Galesburg & Great Eastern Railroad
Item: 3-G Price: $195.00 $175.00
Remarks: Chartered in 1911.
Forged by the Eagle Lock Co.
Superb serif lettering and gold patina.
100 year + centenarian!
History
The Galesburg & Great Eastern was a railroad which operated in Knox County, Illinois in the United States. Knox County is located in western Illinois, about 180 miles southwest from Chicago. This interesting railroad ran until the early 1960's, hauling coal from a mine located at Victoria, Illinois to Wataga, Illinois, a distance of ten miles (16 kilometers). Although early plans indicated that the road would extend on to Galesburg (a major railroad center nine miles away), ultimately, the railroad would go there in name only.
In the late 1950s the coal supply from the Little John Mines was exhausted. The Stonefort Corp., which was the last operator, finally declared "no coal-no railroad" and the line was abandoned.
It has often been asked why the Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad didn't include the name Galesburg? It is interesting to note that the early plans of the Galesburg & Great Eastern Railroad would be extended to Galesburg, however it would to there in name only.
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Georgia Railroad
Item: 7-G Price: $125.00 $115.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice stamp marks and gold patina.
History
The company was chartered in 1833 in Augusta, Georgia. In 1835, the charter was amended to include banking. Originally the line was chartered to build a railroad from Augusta to Athens, with a branch to Madison. It was converted to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1/2 in) in 1886.
The banking side of the business was quickly more successful than the railroad side. The Georgia Railroad & Banking Company was perhaps the strongest bank in Georgia for many years. The bankers used some of their wealth to buy controlling interests in the Atlanta & West Point Railroad (A&WP) and the Western Railway of Alabama (WofA), which provided a continuous line from Atlanta to Montgomery, Alabama, although the WofA was standard gauge, while all the other lines in the South were broad gauge.
1983 saw the end of the Georgia Railroad as a separate company, after Family Lines purchased the railroad properties of the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company, which had until then been the subject of a lease. In 1986, SCL merged with the Chessie System, to form CSX Transportation. The same year, Georgia Railroad Bank was acquired by First Union.
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Georgia Midland Railway
Item: 12-G Price: $75.00
Remarks: Operated 2004-09
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Very nice stamp marks and gold patina.
Short lived Georgia short line.
History
The Georgia Midland Railroad was a shortline railroad that operated several lines in Georgia that it acquired in 2004 from the initial operations of Ogeechee Railway.
In 2009 the Georgia Midland was purchased by Pioneer RailCorp from Atlantic Western Transportation Company, the holding company for the Heart of Georgia Railroad. Pioneer renamed the railroad as the Georgia Southern Railway. Hauling an average of 5000 carloads per year of aggregate sand, stone, farm products and wood, the Georgia Midland Railroad connected with the Norfolk Southern Railway.
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Great Northern Railway
Item: 14-G A Division Price: $115.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Nice deep stamp marks and gold patina.
Given the moniker, "The Billy Goat."
100 year + centenarian!
History
The Great Northern Railway was an American Class I railroad. Running from Saint Paul, Minnesota, to Seattle, Washington, it wasthe creation of 19th century railroad tycoon James J. Hill and was developed from the Saint Paul & Pacific Railroad. The GN's route was the northernmost transcontinental railroad route in the U.S. The Great Northern was the only privately funded and successfully built transcontinental railroad in U.S. history. No federal land grants were used during its construction, unlike all other transcontinental railroads.
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Great Northern Railway
Item: 15-G New Listing Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Nice stamp marks and two-tone patina.
Single digit serial #
100 year + centenarian!
History - continued from above
The Great Northern was built in stages, slowly to create profitable lines, before extending the road further into the undeveloped Western territories. In a series of the earliest public relations campaigns, contests were held to promote interest in the railroad and the ranchlands along its route. Fred J. Adams used promotional incentives such as feed and seed donations to farmers getting started along the line. Contests were all-inclusive, from largest farm animals to largest freight carload capacity and were promoted heavily to immigrants and newcomers from the East.
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Great Northern Railway
Item: 16-G Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. 1904-21
Forged by the S.R. Slaymaker Co.
Superb serif lettering and copper patina.
100 year + centenarian!
History - continued from above
The very first predecessor railroad to the company was the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad owned by William Crooks. He had gone bankrupt running a small line between St. Paul and Minneapolis. He named the locomotive (see photo above) he ran for himself the "William Crooks" and it would be the first locomotive of the Great Northern Railway.
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Great Northern Railway
Item: 18-G C Division Price: $125.00
Remarks:ca. 1904-21
Forged by the S.R. Slaymaker Co.
Nice stamp marks and two-tone patina.
100 year + centenarian!
History - continued from above
The Great Northern energetically promoted settlement along its lines in North Dakota and Montana, especially by Germans and Scandinavians from Europe. The Great Northern bought its lands from the federal government; it received no land grants and resold them to farmers one by one. It operated agencies in Germany and Scandinavia that promoted its lands and brought families over at low cost, building special colonist cars to transport immigrant families. The rapidly increasing settlement in North Dakota's Red River Valley along the Minnesota border between 1871 and 1890 was a major example of large-scale "bonanza" farming.
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Great Northern Railway
Item: 19-G C Division Price: $125.00
Remarks:ca. 1904-21
Forged by the S.R. Slaymaker Co.
Nice stamp marks and two-tone patina.
100 year + centenarian!
History - continued from above
GN operated various passenger trains, but the Empire Builder was their premier passenger train. It was named in honor of James J. Hill, known as the "Empire Builder." Amtrak still operates the Empire Builder today, running it over the old Great Northern's Northern Transcon north of St. Paul.
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Great Northern Railway
Item: 20-G Price: $55.00
Remarks: ca. 1921-30
Fraim/Slaymaker forged.
Pocket worn stamp marks; great gold patina.
80 year + octogenarian!
History - continued from above
GN operated various passenger trains, but the Empire Builder was their premier passenger train. It was named in honor of James J. Hill, known as the "Empire Builder." Amtrak still operates the Empire Builder today, running it over the old Great Northern's Northern Transcon north of St. Paul.
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Great Northern Railway
Item: 21-G New Listing Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. 1904-21
Forged by the S.R. Slaymaker Co.
Superb serif stamp marks and rustic patina.
100 year + centenarian!
History - continued from above
GN operated various passenger trains, but the Empire Builder was their premier passenger train. It was named in honor of James J. Hill, known as the "Empire Builder." Amtrak still operates the Empire Builder today, running it over the old Great Northern's Northern Transcon north of St. Paul.
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Great Northern Railway
Item: 22-G Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. 1921-30
Forged by Fraim/Slaymaker Co.
Superb serif stamp marks and gold patina.
100 year + centenarian!
History - continued from above
On March 2, 1970, the Great Northern, together with the Northern Pacific Railway, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway merged to form the Burlington Northern Railroad. The BN operated until 1996, when it merged with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to form the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway.
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Great Northern Railway
SOLD Price: $45.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s. Tall steel key.
Steam era oiler's key.
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Georgetown Railway
Item: 24-G Price: $115.00 $100.00
Remarks: ca. early-mid 1900s
Forged by Adlake Co.
Superb block lettering and patina.
History
The original Georgetown Railroad Company was chartered on May 31, 1878, with a commitment to build a railroad the approximately 10 mile distance between Georgetown and Round Rock. The headquarters was in Georgetown. The International-Great Northern Railroad stepped in and purchased the Georgetown Railroad and merged it into their system. The proceeds of the first stock offering was about $50,000, and the end of 1878, the GRR had connected Georgetown to Round Rock. Soon, the railroad found itself in difficult financial straits and George M. Dilly, acting for the receiver of the International & Great Northern Railroad, (I&GN) purchased the Georgetown. Operations merged with that company in 1882.
The branch was operated by the I&GN and its successors until 1959,
when it was sold to the new Georgetown Railroad Company.
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Genesee & Wyoming Railroad
Item: 28-G Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. 1904-21
Forged by the S.R. Slaymaker Co.
Superb serif lettering and dark patina.
100 year + centenarian!
History
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. is a short-line railroad holding company that owns or maintains interests in 120 railroads throughout five countries (the United States, Canada, Australia, Belgium, and the Netherlands), and operates more than 15,500 miles (24,900 km) of owned and leased track, with more than 3,300 miles (5,300 km) under additional track-access arrangements. The company had its roots in the Class III Genesee and Wyoming Railroad, which began in 1899.
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Georgia Power Company
Item: 30-G Price: $55.00
Remarks: ca. 1904-21
Forged by the S.R. Slaymaker Co.
Attractive serif lettering and two-tone patina.
100 year + centenarian!
History
Georgia Power is an electric utility headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was established as the Georgia Railway and Power Company and began operations in 1902 running streetcars in Atlanta as a successor to the Atlanta Consolidated Street Railway Company.
Originally the Georgia Railway and Power Company, it began in 1902 as a company running the streetcars in Atlanta, and was the successor to the Atlanta Consolidated Street Railway Company. In the 1930s, the company published a free newsletter called Two Bells which was distributed on its streetcars; Two Bells was still distributed into the 1960s on the buses of successor Atlanta Transit Company (ATC). From 1937 until 1950, Georgia Power also operated trolleybuses in Atlanta, and in 1950 its network of 31 electric bus routes was the largest trolley bus system in the United States. After the Atlanta transit strike of 1950, the Atlanta Transit Company took over operations. Atlanta Streetcar was formed in the 2000s to establish a new streetcar service along Peachtree Street.
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Green Bay & Western Railroad
Item: 32-G Price: $115.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s. Adlake forged.
GB&W keys not rare, but difficult to find.
Given the moniker, "The Green Bay Route."
History
The Green Bay & Western Railroad served central Wisconsin for almost 100 years before it was absorbed into the Wisconsin Central in 1993. For much of its history the railroad was also known as the Green Bay Route. At the end of 1970 it operated 255 miles of road on 322 miles of track; that year it reported 317 million ton-miles of revenue freight.
The GB&W railroad was formed in 1896 from the bankruptcy proceedings of the Green Bay-Winona & St Paul and the Kewaunee-Green Bay & Western. The existing route, originally built by the Green Bay & Lake Pepin Railroad, linking Green Bay, Wisconsin, and East Winona, Wisconsin, formed the bulk of the new railroad. The Itel Corporation purchased the Green Bay & Western in 1978. The Green Bay & Western and the Fox River Valley Railroad were merged into a new Wisconsin Central subsidiary, the Fox Valley & Western Railroad August 27, 1993. Wisconsin Central was, in turn, purchased by Canadian National Railway in 2001.
GBW-Ferry Connections
The GBW prospered from 1892 when a train ferry was introduced across Lake Michigan from Kewaunee eliminating transhipment and bypassing the congested Chicago area. Ferries ran to Frankfort, Michigan, operated by the Ann Arbor Railroad and Ludington, Michigan, operated by the Chesapeake & Ohio. Frankfort services ended around 1980 and those to Ludington in 1990.
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 Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
Item: 34-G New Listing Price: $225.00
Remarks: ca. 1914-1919
Nice stamp marks and caramel patina.
One of the rarest of the GT keys.
100 year+ centenarian!
History
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (reporting mark GTP) was a historical Canadian transcontinental railway running from Winnipeg to the Pacific coast at Prince Rupert, British Columbia. East of Winnipeg the line continued as the National Transcontinental Railway (NTR), running across northern Ontario and Quebec, crossing the St. Lawrence River at Quebec City and ending at Moncton, New Brunswick. The entire line was managed and operated by Grand Trunk Railway.
By 1919 it was obvious that the GTPR was not paying its way. The financial strain broke on March 7 when GTR defaulted on repayment of construction loans to the federal government, whereby the GTPR was nationalized and taken over by a Board of Management operating under the Department of Railways and Canals while legalities were resolved. On July 12, 1920 the GTPR was placed under the management of Crown corporation Canadian National Railways (CNR) and in 1923 was completely absorbed into the CNR.
Nearing bankruptcy in 1919, the entire system was nationalized. In 1923 the government merged the Grand Trunk, the Grand Trunk Pacific, the Canadian Northern and the National Transcontinental lines into the new Canadian National Railways. The Grand Trunk lines, however, kept its distinctive name.
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Grand Trunk Railway
Item: 35-G New Listing Price: $115.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Shorty Central Vermont cut.
Great stamp marks and caramel patina.
History
The company was incorporated on November 10, 1852, as the Grand Trunk Railway Company of Canada to build a railway line between Montreal and Toronto.The GT Railway System operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The Grand Trunk, its subsidiaries, and the Canadian Government Railways were precursors of today's Canadian National Railway.
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Grand Trunk Railway
Item: 36-G New Listing Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. 1872-95
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.
GTW's predessor bit style.
125 year + centenarian!
History - continued from above
GTR's main line ran from Portland, Maine to Montreal, and then from Montreal to Sarnia, Ontario, where it joined its western subsidiary. The GTR had three important subsidiaries during its lifetime: Central Vermont Railway which operated in Quebec, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Grand Trunk Pacific Railway which operated in Northwestern Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. Grand Trunk Western Railroad which operated in Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois.
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 Grand Trunk Railway
Item: 37-G Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. 1872-95
Superb stamp marks and dark chocolate patina.
Central Vermont cut.
125 year + centenarian!
History - continued from above
The GTR had four important subsidiaries during its lifetime: Grand Trunk Eastern which operated in Quebec, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Central Vermont Railway which operated in Quebec, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Grand Trunk Pacific Railway which operated in Northwestern Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. Grand Trunk Western Railroad which operated in Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois.
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Grand Trunk Railway
Item: 38-G New Listing Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. 1872-95
Superb stamp marks and dark patina.
Central Vermont cut.
125 year + centenarian!
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Grand Trunk Railway
Item: 39-G Price: $160.00
Remarks: ca. 1872-95
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Nice deep stamp marks and two-tone patina.
GTW's predessor bit style.
100 year + centenarian!
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Grand Trunk Railway
Item: 40-G Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. 1872-95
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
GTW's predessor bit style.
Rare, early A&W hex stamp = 1st series.
Very nice stamp marks and gold patina.
125 year + centenarian!
History - continued from above
The GTR system expanded throughout southern Ontario, western Quebec, and the U.S. state of Michigan over the years by purchasing and absorbing numerous smaller railway companies, as well as building new lines. GTR's largest purchase came on August 12, 1882, when it bought the 1,371-kilometre (852 mi) Great Western Railway, running from Niagara Falls to Toronto, and connecting to London, Windsor, and communities in the Bruce Peninsula.
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Grand Trunk Railway System
Item: 41-G Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Great stamp marks and carmel patina.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Note the "SYS" stamp-mirroring the NYCS (System's)
reporting mark. Later keys made were stamped "GTW."
History - continued from above
As the dominant railway in British North America, GTR was reportedly asked by the federal government soon after Confederation to consider building a rail line to the Pacific coast at British Columbia but refused, forcing the government to enact legislation creating the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) to meet British Columbia's conditions for joining Confederation. By the early 20th century, GTR desired to operate in Western Canada, particularly given the virtual monopoly of service that CPR maintained and the lucrative increasing flows of immigrants west of Ontario. The federal government encouraged GTR to co-operate with a local railway company operating on the Prairies, the Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR), but an agreement was never reached.
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Grand Trunk Western Railroad
Item: 44-G Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice stamp marks and two-tone patina.
History
The Grand Trunk Western Railroad Company (reporting mark GTW) is an American subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway operating in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Since a corporate restructuring in 1971, the railroad has been under CN's subsidiary holding company, the Grand Trunk Corporation. Grand Trunk Western's routes are part of CN's Michigan Division.
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Grand Trunk Western Railroad
Item: 45-G Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice stamp marks and superb gold patina.
History - continued from above
Grand Trunk Western began as a route for the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) to link its line to Chicago through lower Michigan. GTR's objective was to have a mainline from shipping ports in Portland, Maine, to rail connections in Chicago through the southern part of the Province of Canada that would serve Toronto and Montreal.
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Grand Trunk Western Railroad
Item: 46-G Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice-deep stamp marks and patina.
History - continued from above
Grand Trunk Western began as a route for the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) to link its line to Chicago through lower Michigan. GTR's objective was to have a mainline from shipping ports in Portland, Maine, to rail connections in Chicago through the southern part of the Province of Canada that would serve Toronto and Montreal.
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Grand Trunk Western Railroad
Item: 47-G Price: $25.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Great stamp marks and copper/gold patina.
In 1975, the railroad adopted its company slogan:
The Good Track Road
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Graysonia, Nashville & Ashdown Railroad
Item: 50-G Price: $110.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.
Key is listed in the
"American Railways Switch Key Directory."
History
The carrier was incorporated October 25, 1922, under the general laws of Arkansas. The articles of incorporation are dated August 29, 1922, which is recorded as the date of organization. The purpose of incorporation was to acquire and operate that part of the railroad formerly owned by the Memphis, Dallas & Gulf Railroad Company, extending from Ashdown to Shawmut, Ark., about 61 miles.
The carrier is an Arkansas corporation, having its principal office at Nashville, Ark. The records reviewed do not indicate that the carrier is controlled by any company, firm, or individual, or that it controls any common-carrier corporation.
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Grand Rapids & Indiana Railway
Item: 52-G Price: $125.00 $110.00
Remarks: Operated 1854-1918.
Nice stamp marks and gold patina.
The GR&I merged into the Pennsy.
100 year + centenarian!
History
The Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad at its height provided passenger and freight railroad services between Cincinnati, Ohio and the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan, USA. The company was formed on January 18, 1854. Passenger train fares were not enough to support the railroad and ridership declined. In 1909 the railroad reported a profit of 24.4 cents for every passenger for each mile carried; by 1921 the railroad was losing 19.5 cents per passenger mile. In 1918, the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad was bought by the Pennsylvania Railroad now Conrail.
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Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad
Item: 54-G North Division Key Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Superb serif stamp marks and patina.
Given the moniker, "Grease Mud & Oil"
History
The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio was a Class I railroad in the central United States whose primary routes extended from Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana, to St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, as well as Chicago, Illinois. From its two parallel lines through eastern Mississippi, the GM&O also served Montgomery and Birmingham, Alabama, as well as Memphis, Tennessee.
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Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad
Item: 55-G North Division Key Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Superb serif stamp marks and patina.
History - continued from above
The Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad was created as the reorganization of the New Orleans, Mobile and Chicago Railroad in 1917. The GM&O was incorporated in 1938 to merge the Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad and the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, which was accomplished in 1940. The GM&O later bought and merged the Alton Railroad in 1947.
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Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad
Item: 56-G Price: $65.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
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Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad
Item: 57-G Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Nice stamp marks and gold patina.
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Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway
Item: 60-G New Listing Price: $245.00
Remarks: ca. early-mid 1900s
Pocket worn stamp marks and gold patina.
Prized and hoarded by collectors!
History
The competition between Houston and Galveston was fed by the quarantines which, were often imposed on Galveston traffic by Houston. These quarantines occurred almost annually and were based on yellow fever outbreaks and epidemics. The citizens of Galveston, frustrated by the quarantines which restricted travel, decided to build their own railroad bypassing Houston. The Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Company was chartered on May 28, 1873, to build a railroad from Galveston to the interior of Texas without passin through Houston. The projected route crossed the Brazos River near Columbia and ran through Caldwell, Cameron, and Belton on its way to the western boundary of Texas and its terminus at Santa Fe, New Mexico Territory. At Santa Fe the GC&SF planned to connect with the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. The connection between the GC&SF and a Santa Fe subsidiary was made at Purcell on April 27, 1887. Although, now also a subsidiary of the Santa Fe, the GC&SF continued to be operated as a separate organization. In 1888 the company completed a thirty-five mile extension from Ballinger to San Angelo, and the Texas-Louisiana & Eastern Railroad Company was bought at foreclosure on July 26, 1897.
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Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway
Item: 61-G New Listing Price: $245.00
Remarks: ca. early-mid 1900s
Pocket worn stamp marks and gold patina.
Prized and hoarded by collectors!
History - continued from above
December 12, 1895, the Santa Fe was reorganized as the Atchison-Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company and subsequently acquired a number of railroads that were leased to the GC&SF for operation. On August 1, 1965, the GC&SF was merged into the Atchison-Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company.
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Great Western Railway of Colorado
Item: 65-G Price: $165.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice stamp marks and gold patina.
Colorado short line that's been around since 1902.
Keys hardly circulate!
History
The Great Western Railway of Colorado (reporting mark GWR) operates about 80 miles (129 km) of track in Colorado and interchanges with the Union Pacific Railroad as well as the BNSF Railway. It is currently a subsidiary of OmniTRAX Corp.
Founded in 1902 to serve the Great Western Sugar Company and other sugar beet and molasses companies in Colorado, and built by another Great Western subsidiary, Loveland Construction Company. It also operated passenger services from 1917 to 1926. Their route consists of a line from Loveland to Johnstown, Colorado, where it splits to Miliken and Longmont. Going north out of Kelim is Windsor where once again the line splits to go to their industrial park and Greeley, or Fort Collins. It has since expanded service to include customers such as Anheuser-Busch, Eastman Kodak and Simplot.
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H
Harrisburg Traction Company
Item: 3-H Price: $145.00 $115.00
Remarks: Operated 1895-1903.
Forged by the Wilson Bohannan Co.
Nice serif stamp marks and patina.
Rare - 115+ year old Harrisburg trolley key.
History
The first known public transportation in Harrisburg began in 1865 with a horse drawn trolley that was said to be purchased used from Philadelphia. This first line ran between downtown Harrisburg and McClay St. In 1873 the Harrisburg City Passenger Railway Co. bought the previous company and began service. Over the next few years new track was laid and service expanded. In 1875 the Harrisburg and Middletown Omnibus Co. was organized to feed passengers to the trolley.
July 4, 1888 saw the first test run of an electric trolley in Harrisburg by the East Harrisburg Passenger Railway. On July 17 regular service with electric trolleys began on both the Steelton and Allison Hill lines. Harrisburg City Railway did not begin electrification until the beginning of 1891. However, before work commenced the East Harrisburg Co. made an offer to purchase Harrisburg City and in April of 1891 the two companies merged. Yet another streetcar company was formed in 1892, the Citizens Passenger Railway Co. with service to the Steelton - Oberlin areas and extensions into Harrisburg.
By 1895 it was apparent that the two companies were duplicating service and a merger was proposed. On June 18, 1895 the Harrisburg Traction Company was chartered.
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Hamilton Belt Railway
Item: 4-H Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. post 1918
Forged by the Fraim Co.
Superb serif stamp marks and gold patina.
HB of Ohio was Butler County's shortest
railroad, 2.9 miles.
History
The 2.9-mile Hamilton Belt Railway operated entirely within Hamilton from 1898 until 2012, serving several industries on the citys' West Side. Its prime customer for 114 years was Champion Papers (later SMART Papers). By 1926, Champion was dispatching 18 to 20 cars of paper daily, and bringing in an average of 144 box cars and 55 coal cars each week. In 1926, HBR tracks were purchased by the B&O. By 1940, Champion's Hamilton mill rail yards had more than 20 miles of track with several steam locomotives shuttling cars around the clock. HBR began losing business to trucks after World War II. It had no locomotives or cars and was worked in succession by the CH&D, the B&O, CSX and, after 1988, by privately-owned short line companies.
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Harbor Belt Line Railroad
Item: 7-H Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Excellent serif stamp marks and gold patina.
History
The Harbor Belt Line was owned by three railroads and the city of Los Angeles Harbor Department.
The Pacific Harbor Line (reporting mark PHL) was formed in 1998 to take over the Harbor Belt Line (HBL). The PHL was formed to create a level playing field for shippers. Up to that time, the HBL was owned and operated by the major railroads in Los Angeles; the Southern Pacific, the Santa Fe Railway and the Union Pacific. The PHL, in contrast, is privately owned by the Anacostia & Pacific Company. It operates on tracks and facilities owned by the ports.
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Harbor Belt Line Railroad
Item: 8-H Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. post 1918
Forged by the Fraim Co.
Superb stamp marks and caramel patina.
Nice early Belt key.
History - continued from above
PHL was the first railroad to have its locomotive fleet composed only of Tier II and Tier III "clean diesel" locomotives. Pacific Harbor Line was named the 2009 Short Line Railroad of the Year by Railway Age magazine.
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Holyoke & Westfield Railroad
Item: 10-H Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. 1800s. Forged by Romer & Co.
Very nice serif stamp marks and gold patina.
Absorbed by the NYNH&H Railroad
150 year old beauty!
History
The Holyoke and Westfield Railroad was created by the city in the 1860's to provide a competitor to the CNRR and connected Holyoke with Westfield to the southwest. From there, goods could connect to the New Haven and Boston & Albany railroads.
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Houston & Texas Central Railway
Item: 14-H Price: $135.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Superb serif stamp marks and dark patina.
100 year + centenarian!
History
The Houston and Texas Central Railway (H&TC), a predecessor of today's Union Pacific Railroad, was an 872-mile (1403-km) railway system chartered in Texas in 1848, with construction beginning in 1856. The line eventually stretched from Houston northward to Dallas and Denison, Texas. with branches to Austin and Waco
The H&TC was sold to Charles Morgan in March 1877 but continued to operate independently until 1927, when it was leased to the Texas and New Orleans Railroad, a subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Railroad. The HT&C was merged into the T&NO in 1934. The T&NO was merged into the SP in 1961, and the SP into the Union Pacific in 1996.
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Hocking Valley Railroad
Item: 19-H Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. pre-1927
Forged by the Wilson Bohannan Co.
Attractive stamp marks and gold patina.
NOT a car key (C) same style cut as HV key below.
100 year + centenarian!
History
The Hocking Valley Railway was a railroad in the U.S. state of Ohio, with a main line from Toledo to Athens and Pomeroy via Columbus. The earliest predecessor of the Hocking Valley was the Mineral Railroad, incorporated in April 1864 to build from Athens in the rich Hocking Valley to Columbus.
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Hocking Valley Railroad
Item: 20-H Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. pre-1927
Forged by the Wilson Bohannan Co.
Nice serif stamp marks and silver patina.
100 year + centenarian!
History - continued from above
The HV also had several branches to the coal mines of the Hocking Valley near Athens. The company became part of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway system in 1910 and the line between Toledo and Columbus continues to see trains as CSX Transportation Columbus Subdivision. Portions of the main line south of Columbus are now operated by the Indiana & Ohio Railway and Hocking Valley Scenic Railway. When the C&O acquired control of the Pere Marquette Railway in 1929, the Hocking Valley served as its connection to the rest of the system. Finally, the Hocking Valley was merged into the C&O in April 1930.
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Hocking Valley Railroad
Item: 21-H Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. pre-1927
Most likely Bohannan forged.
Deep stamp marks and gold patina.
100 year + centenarian!
History
The Hocking Valley Railway was a railroad in the U.S. state of Ohio, with a main line from Toledo to Athens and Pomeroy via Columbus. The earliest predecessor of the Hocking Valley was the Mineral Railroad, incorporated in April 1864 to build from Athens in the rich Hocking Valley to Columbus.
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Hudson Valley Railway
Item: 22-H Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. pre-1927
Forged by the Wilson Bohannan Co.
Nice pocket worn serif stamp marks
and gold patina. Interurban trolley line.
100 year + centenarian!
History
A New York state trolley line that operated in the Hudson Valley in the early 20th century.
The line ran from Albany to Warrenburg.
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Huntingdon & Broad Top Mountain Railroad
Item: 26-H Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s.
Superb serif stamp marks and dark patina.
125 year + centenarian!
History
The Huntingdon & Broad Top Mountain Railroad and Coal Company was chartered on May 6, 1852, and organized on January 10, 1853. The purpose of the line was to provide a rail link from Huntingdon to Bedford, and to provide a competitive alternate route to local coal producers to break the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad's monopoly on coal that was being shipped from the Cumberland, Maryland, area. The existence of high quality semi-bituminous coal in the Broad Top Mountain region was known since colonial times. Before the railroad, wagon or pole barge was the only practical method of bringing the coal from the remote region to market. This coal hauler supplied the coal for the troop trains during the Civil War and WW1.
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Huntingdon & Broad Top Mountain Railroad
Item: 27-H Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. 1879-1917
Forged by the E.T. Fraim Co.
Superb serif stamp marks and gold patina.
125 year + centenarian!
History - continued from above
The railroad was at its height in the last decades of the 19th century and the pre-World War I period of the 20th century. The completion of the Bedford Division allowed the PRR to divert most of the lucrative through traffic from the Cumberland area away from the H&BTM. The decline of the Broad Top Mountain coal fields, the maturity of construction bonds, and many ill-advised right of way improvements and equipment purchases took their financial toll. The Huntingdon & Broad Top Mountain Railroad declared bankruptcy on October 11, 1953, operated its last passenger train in November 1953, and ceased operations on March 31, 1954.
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Huntingdon & Broad Top Mountain Railroad
Item: 28-H Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. 1879-1917
Forged by the E.T. Fraim Co.
Superb serif stamp marks and dark patina.
125 year + centenarian!
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Switch Key Directory
American Railway's Switch Key Directory
Price: HC-$25.00 | CD-$35
Whether your just starting out collecting switch key's or you have been a collector for many years, this 44 page switch key directory is a useful tool. Although, it does not list every railroad key there is, the directory has a 3-D diagram for the most common railroad keys in the collectors circle. With a CD, you can copy the directory to your hard drive and view and enlarge the pages on your computer screen. Price does not include shipping fees.
Upon request, I will "three ring" the pages for a book binder.
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Don Stewart's Railroad Switch Keys and Padlocks
Switch Keys and Locks Directory
Price: HC-$65.00 | CD-$55
One of the lesser known railroad directories is Don Stewart's Railroad Switch Keys and Padlocks Directory. The book includes 56 pages of switch key pictures, 12 pages of switch lock pictures, 12 supplemental pages including, 2 Canadian key picture pages and 32 pages of railroad names. It's another handy tool for beginners and even veteran collectors. The book contains 117 pages in all and is a ink jet printed copy of the original book. As noted, the CD copy is less expensive than a hard copy. The reason; printer ink and paper prices. With a CD, you can copy the directory to your hard drive and view and enlarge the pages on your computer screen. Price does not include shipping fees.
Upon request, I will "three ring" the pages for a book binder.
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Dates quoted for keys are approximate dates. Railroad switch keys initials (reporting mark) are assumed to be correct and accurate.
Comments on any railroad initials origin, including (typos), are welcome. Last update 08/22/2024
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