Kansas City Southern Railway
Item: 3-K Price: $125.00 $115.00
Remarks: ca. early/mid-1900s
Superb serif stamp marks and gold patina.
Merger News
On March 15, 2023, the railroad industry made history when government regulators from The Surface Transportation Board approved a merger between the Kansas City Southern (KCS) and Canadian Pacific Rail (CP). The CP's $31 billion acquistion will allow the two railroads to combine to form, Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railroad (see CPKC map above). It will be first single-line railway connecting the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Note: Collectors, as of 3/15/23 KCS and CP switch locks, switch keys, etc., will no longer bear their own reporting marks.
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Kansas City Southern Railway
Item: 4-K Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. early/mid-1900s
Superb stamp marks and dark patina.
History
The Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCS), owned by Kansas City Southern, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation. KCS was founded in 1887 and is currently operating in a region consisting of ten central U.S. states. KCS also owns and indirectly operates Kansas City Southern de Mexico (KCSM) in the central and northeastern states of Mexico, and is the only Class I Railroad to own any track both inside and outside of Mexico's boundaries. (Ferromex is the only other Class I operating in Mexico). Including all trackage owned by wholly owned subsidiaries, KCS owns a total of approximately 6,000 route miles of track.
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Kansas City Southern Railway Co.
Item: 5-K Price: $85.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Nice stamp marks and bright gold patina.
History - continued from above
KCS operates over a railroad system consisting of 3,400 route miles that extend south to the Mexico-United States border at which point another KCS railroad, Kansas City Southern de México (KCSM), can haul freight into northeastern and central Mexico and to the Gulf of Mexico ports of Tampico, Altamira, and Veracruz, as well as to the Pacific Port of Lázaro Cárdenas, fulfilling the vision of KCS founder Arthur Edward Stilwell.
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Kansas City Southern Railway
Item: 6-K Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. early/mid-1900s
Superb stamp marks and copper-gold patina.
History - continued from above
From 1940 to 1969, the Kansas City Southern operated two primary passenger trains, the Flying Crow (Trains #15 & 16) between Kansas City and Port Arthur (discontinued on May 11, 1968) and the Southern Belle (Trains #1 & 2) between Kansas City and New Orleans (discontinued on November 2, 1969). In 1995, a new Southern Belle was created as an executive train to entertain shippers and guests. It also pulls the Holiday Express train in December, making the rounds to several KCS cities and stations.
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Kansas City Southern Railway
Item: 8-K Price: $55.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Nice clear stamp marks and silver patina.
History - continued from above
In 1962, Kansas City Southern Industries, Inc. (KCSI) was established when the company began to diversify its interests into other industries. At that time, KCS became a subsidiary of KCSI. In 2002, KCSI formally changed its name to Kansas City Southern (KCS), with KCS remaining a subsidiary.
KCS has the shortest north-south rail route between Kansas City, Missouri, and several key ports along the Gulf of Mexico in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The KCS, along with the Union Pacific railroad, is one of only two Class I railroads based in the United States that has not originated as the result of a merger between previously separate companies.
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Kansas City Southern Railway
Item: 9-K Price: $55.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Superb serif stamp marks and silver patina.
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Kansas City Southern
Item: 11-K Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Very nice stamp marks and patina.
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Kansas City Southern
Item: 12-K Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Very nice stamp marks and patina.
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Kansas City Southern
Item: 13-K Price: $65.00
Remarks: ca. early/mid-1900s
Nice stamp marks and patina.
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Kansas City Southern
SOLD car key Price: $175.00
Remarks: ca. 1879-1917
Forged by the E.T. Fraim Co.
Superb stamp marks and patina.
125 year+ centenarian!
A rare 1!
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Kansas City Terminal
Item: 16-K Price: $65.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
History - continued from above
The original trunk railroads that were owners of the Kansas City Terminal were:
Alton Railroad, Atchison-Topeka & Santa Fe Railway, Chicago-Burlington & Quincy Railroad, Chicago Great Western Railway, Chicago-Milwaukee-St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, Chicago-Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, Kansas City Southern Railway, Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, Missouri Pacific Railroad, St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, Union Pacific Railroad and the Wabash Railroad.
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Kansas City Terminal
Item: 17-K Price: $65.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
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Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway
SOLD New Listing Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. 1914-1925
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Pocket-worn but readable. Great patina.
100 year centenarian!
History
The Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway, started in 1900 by American railroad entrepreneur Arthur Edward Stilwell, was the predecessor to the Chihuahua al Pacifico railroad in Mexico. It was intended to reach the Pacific Ocean at Topolobampo, Sinaloa.
The United States portion was incorporated in 1900 as the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway, and completed between Wichita, Kansas and Alpine, Texas. Grading took place between El Dorado, Kansas and Bazaar, Kansas. Primary shops were first located in Fairview, Okla. In 1910 the Fairview shops were destroyed by fire and the shops were then reestablished in Wichita. It was forced into bankruptcy in 1912, but its receiver William T. Kemper was to make a fortune when oil was discovered under its tracks. In 1914, it was reorganized as the KCM&O Railroad. Another reorganization in 1925 returned it to its original name. It was popularly called The Orient railroad.
The KCM&O was acquired by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1928, mainly to gain access to the west Texas oil fields. The Santa Fe then sold the Mexican portions. Operating rights on the portion (South Orient Rail Line) from San Angelo to Presidio later were awarded to Texas Pacifico Transportation.
At the end of 1925, KCM&O and KCM&O of Texas together operated 738 miles of road on 859 miles of track; they reported a total of 330 million net ton-miles of revenue freight and 8 million passenger-miles.
The line was opened in 1914 between Kansas City and Bonner Springs, Kansas. In 1916 the line extended to Lawrence. The line had 75 passenger station stops.
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Kansas City Kaw Valley & Western Railway
Item: 20-K Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Pocket worn (&). Great gold patina.
100 year+ centenarian!
History
The Kansas City Kaw Valley & Western Railway was an interurban electric railway that ran between the American cities of Lawrence, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri, between 1914 and 1963. Passenger service was eliminated on the Lawrence segment prior to its demise in 1949. The line between Kansas City, Kansas and Bonner Springs, Kansas remained an electric freight operation until 1963. Major portions of KS Highway 32 are built on the original roadbed.
The line was opened in 1914 between Kansas City and Bonner Springs, Kansas. In 1916 the line extended to Lawrence. The line had 75 passenger station stops.
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Kansas City Northwestern Railroad
Item: 23-K Price: $125.00
Remarks: Operated independently
16 years 1893-1909.
Fine tapered barrel. Pocket worn serif lettering
and superb gold patina. 125 year+ centenarian!
History
Chartered in 1893, the Kansas City Northwestern Railroad was sold to the Missouri Pacific Railroad Corporation of Nebraska in 1909, and did not become part of the reorganized Missouri Pacific Railroad.
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Kentucky & Indiana Terminal Railroad
Item: 25-K Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice stamp marks and gold patina.
History
In 1880, both the Kentucky and Indiana state legislatures authorized the Kentucky & Indiana Bridge Company to build a bridge between New Albany, Indiana, and Louisville, Kentucky (in the Portland area). The original bridge was built from 1881-1885 and had one railroad track, in addition to space for wagons/buggies and pedestrians to cross. In 1893 the company went into receivership, and in 1900 it was bought out by the B&O Railroad, the Monon Railroad, and the Southern Railroad. The name was changed to the Kentucky & Indiana Bridge and Railroad Company that year, and in 1910 it became the Kentucky & Indiana Terminal Railroad Company. A new bridge was built from 1910-1912. The K&IT RR was purchased by the Southern Railroad in December of 1981. The next year, Southern merged with Norfolk & Western to form the Norfolk Southern railroad, which still owns the bridge today.
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L
Lackawanna & Montrose Railroad
Item: 4-L Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Unique style bit.
Superb serif stamp marks and patina.
Line part of the DL&W's interurban service.
125 year+ centenarian beauty!
History
The Lackawanna & Montrose was incorporated September 30, 1889. The main line extends westerly from Alford to Montrose, 9.931 miles. The company also owns 1.803 miles of yard tracks and sidings. Its road thus embraces 11.734 miles of all tracks owned and used. The Lackawanna & Montrose is controlled by the Delaware-Lackawanna & Western Railroad Company and its railroad comprises the Montrose branch of the latter carrier's system.
This line ran from Montrose to Alford, where it connected with the Delaware & Lackawana line. Some sections of this line were turned into modern Mountain Riding Trails.
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Lackawanna & Bloomsburg Railroad
Item: 6-L Price: $225.00
Remarks: ca. pre-1873
Nice stamp marks and gold patina.
Rare, 150 year-old Pennsylvania gem!
History
The Lackawanna and Bloomsburg Railroad (LBR) was an 80-mile (130 km) long 19th century railroad that ran between Scranton and Northumberland in Pennsylvania in the United States. Incorporated in 1852, the railroad began operation in 1856 and was taken over by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in 1873. The western end of the line, from Northumberland to Beach Haven, is still in operation as the shortline North Shore Railroad.
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Lake Erie & Eastern Railroad
Remarks: ca. turn of the century
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.
This key and key below are serial brothers!
100 year+ centenarian!
History
The Lake Erie & Eastern was incorporated March 28, 1904, under the general laws of the State of Ohio, for the purpose of constructing and operating a railroad extending from a connection with the Youngstown branch of the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Company at Struthers, Ohio, to Brier Hill, in the city of Youngstown, Ohio, a distance of about 7 miles.
The Lake Erie and Eastern was controlled jointly by The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad Company and The Mahoning Coal Railroad Company. It once served the steel industries in the vicinity of Youngstown, Ohio.
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Lake Erie & Eastern Railroad
Remarks: ca. turn of the century
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.
This key + LE&W key below = nice set.
This key and key above are serial brothers!
100 year+ centenarial!
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Lake Erie & Western Railroad
Item: 14-L Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. pre-1927
Forged by the Wilson Bohannan Co.
Superb serif stamp marks and gold patina.
125 year+ centenarian beauty!
History
The Seney Syndicate linked several short railroads in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to form the Lake Erie & Western Railroad in 1879 and 1880. The Lake Erie & Western extended from the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway at Fremont, Ohio 350 miles westward to Bloomington, Illinois.
In 1900, the Lake Erie & Western came under the control of the New York Central Railroad. After operating it as a separate entity for two decades, the New York Central sold the Lake Erie & Western to the Nickel Plate Road in 1922.
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Lake Erie & Western Railway
Item: 15-L Price: $60.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Excellent serif stamp marks and patina.
Given the moniker the
"Natural Gas Route"
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Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad
Item: 18-L Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. 1800s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Early A&W hex stamp = 1st series.
Excellent stamp marks and gold patina.
125 year+ centenarian beauty!
History
The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway, established in 1833 and sometimes referred to as the Lake Shore, was a major part of the New York Central Railroad's Water Level Route from Buffalo, New York, to Chicago, Illinois, primarily along the south shore of Lake Erie (in New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio) and across northern Indiana. The line's trackage is still used as a major rail transportation corridor and hosts Amtrak passenger trains, with the ownership in 1998 split at Cleveland between CSX to the west and Norfolk Southern in the east.
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Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad
Item: 19-L Price: $115.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Superb large serif stamp marks and gold patina.
History - continued from above
On April 22, 1833, the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad was chartered in the Territory of Michigan to run from the former Port Lawrence, Michigan (now Toledo, Ohio), near Lake Erie, northwest to Adrian on the River Raisin. The Toledo War soon gave about one-third of the route to the state of Ohio. Trains commenced operating, pulled by horses, on November 2, 1836; the horses were replaced by a newly arrived steam locomotive, Adrian #1, in August 1837.
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Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad
Item: 20-L Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. pre-1927
Forged by the Wilson Bohannan Co.
Excellent stamp marks and two-tone patina.
100 year+ centenarian!
History - continued from above
Around 1877, Cornelius Vanderbilt and his New York Central & Hudson River Railroad gained a majority of stock of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway. The line provided an ideal extension of the New York Central main line from Buffalo west to Chicago, along with the route across southern Ontario (Canada Southern Railway and Michigan Central Railroad). On December 22, 1914, the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad merged with the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway to form a new New York Central Railroad. While the original main line was to the south of Sandusky Bay between Toledo and Elyria, the northern alignment (the Sandusky Division) eventually became the main line. The NYC's destiny (Conrail) was 62 years away.
In 1968, the New York Central merged into Penn Central, and in 1976, it became part of Conrail. In 1976, the Southern Division from Elyria to Millbury was abandoned, with parts of the former right of way now in use as a recreational trail, the North Coast Inland Trail. Under Conrail, the Lake Shore main line was part of the New York City-Chicago Chicago Line.
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Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad
Item: 21-L New Listing Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. 1800s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Early A&W hex stamp = 1st series.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.
125 year+ centenarian!
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Lehigh Valley Railroad
Item: 24-L Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. 1904-21
Forged by the S.R. Slaymaker Co.
Superb serif stamp marks and gold patina.
Given the moniker,
"Route of the Black Diamond"
100 year+ centenarian!
History
The Lehigh Valley Railroad (LV) was one of several Class I railroads located in the Northeastern United States, and was built for the purpose of transporting anthracite coal from the Coal Region in Northeastern Pennsylvania to major consumer markets in Philadelphia, New York City, and elsewhere. It was sometimes known as the "Route of the Black Diamond," named after the anthracite it transported.
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Lehigh Valley Railroad
Item: 25-L Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. 1904-21
Forged by the S.R. Slaymaker Co.
Superb serif stamp marks and gold patina.
100 year+ centenarian!
History - continued from above
On April 21, 1846, the railroad was authorized to provide freight transportation of passengers, goods, wares, merchandise, and minerals in Pennsylvania. On September 20, 1847, the railroad was incorporated and established, initially called the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad Company.
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Lehigh Valley Railway
Item: 26-L Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Large serif stamp marks and
great gold patina.
History - continued from above
On April 1, 1976, the LVRR including its main line were merged into the U.S. government's Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) ending 130 years of existence and 121 years of operation of the Lehigh Valley Railroad.
In 1999, the Norfolk Southern Railway which is owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation acquired the Lehigh Line in the Conrail split with CSX Transportation but the tracks from Manville, New Jersey, to Newark, New Jersey, were kept with Conrail in order for both Norfolk Southern and CSX to have equal competition in the Northeast.
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Lehigh Valley Railroad Company
Item: 27-L New Listing Price: $115.00
Remarks: ca. post 1930
Forged by the E.T. Fraim Co.
Superb stamp marks and caramel patina.
80 year+ octogenarian!
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Lehigh Valley Railroad
Item: 28-L New Listing Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Superb stamp marks and bright gold patina.
100 year+ centenarian!
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Lehigh Valley Railroad
Item: 29-L call box key Price: $115.00
Remarks: ca. post 1930
Forged by the S.R. Slaymaker Co.
Superb serif stamp marks and patina.
80 year+ octogenarian!
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Lehigh Valley Railroad
Item: 30-L Price: $55.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Corbin forged steel shorty.
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Litchfield & Madison Railway
Item: 35-L Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Attractive stamp marks and gold patina.
Given the moniker,
"St. Louis Gateway Route"
80 year + octogenarian!
History
The Litchfield and Madison was incorporated on March 1, 1900 by James Duncan to take over an isolated line of the Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis Railroad between Litchfield, Illinois and Madison, Illinois. At that time, Duncan also took over the Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis. In 1926, the L&M constructed a connection to the Chicago and North Western at Benld, Illinois. The railroad served as the entry to East St. Louis, Illinois for both the Chicago and North Western and the Illinois Central Railroad. In addition, in the 1925-1926 time frame, the C&NW obtained trackage rights over the L&M from Benld to East St. Louis. At the same time, the L&M received minor reciprocal trackage rights over the C&NW.
The railroad was headquartered in Edwardsville, Illinois. During its life, the L&M was known for being both a bridge railroad and also a hauler of coal. Most of the coal consisted of loads brought southbound to the St. Louis area from mines in the area..
On August 1, 1957, lawyers for the Chicago and North Western filed paperwork to acquire the Litchfield and Madison outright. The Interstate Commerce Commission quickly granted the C&NW's application. The purchase price for the railroad was $8 million.
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Little Miami Railroad
Item: 38-L Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Most likely Fraim forged.
Nice stamp marks and gold patina.
80 year+ octogenarian!
History
The Little Miami Railroad was a railway of southwestern Ohio, running from the eastern side of Cincinnati to Springfield, Ohio. By merging with the Columbus and Xenia Railroad it created the first through rail route from the important manufacturing city of Cincinnati to the state capital, Columbus.
On February 23, 1870, the Little Miami Railroad leased in perpetuity, renewable forever, all of its assets, including the DX&P, the D&W, and the C&X, to the Pittsburg, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway, retroactive to December 1, 1869.
When the Pennsy's successor, the Penn Central company, collapsed into bankruptcy in 1970, the LMRR was still active. It would become part of Conrail and merged out of existence December 23, 1981.
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Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad
Item: 40-L New Listing Price: $175.00
Remarks: ca. post 1921
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Very nice stamp marks and gold patina.
80 year+ UP style cut octogenarian rarity!
History
The Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad (reporting mark SLR) was a rail company that completed and operated a railway line between its namesake cities, via Las Vegas, Nevada. Incorporated in Utah in 1901 as the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad the line was largely the brainchild of William Andrews Clark, a Montana mining baron and United States Senator. Clark enlisted the help of Utah's U.S. Senator Thomas Kearns, mining magnate and newspaper man, to ensure the success of the line through Utah. Construction of the railroad's main line was completed in 1905. Company shareholders adopted the LA&SL name in 1916. The railway was also known by its official nickname, "The Salt Lake Route," and was sometimes informally referred to as "The Clark Road." The tracks are still in use by the modern Union Pacific Railroad, as the Caliente and Lynndyl Subdivisions.
On April 16, 1916 the railroad's stockholders voted to remove "San Pedro" from the corporation's name; the former town of San Pedro had been consolidated with the city of Los Angeles in 1909. The LA&SL operated independently until April 27, 1921 when the UP agreed to acquire Clark's half-interest in the railroad. After 1921 the LA&SL lines were operated as part of the UP system, although the LA&SL corporation continued to exist on paper until January 1, 1988. The former LA&SL main line remains part of the UP network today as the Caliente and Lynndyl Subdivisions.
The LA&SL was known for its depot buildings, many of which were imposing structures in the Mission Revival architectural style. The largest such depot, at Milford, was razed in 1979, but landmark LA&SL stations in Caliente and Kelso survive today.
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Louisiana & Arkansas Railway
Item: 45-L L&A original cut Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. pre-1939
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.
Gobbled up by the KCS in 1939
History
The Louisiana & Arkansas Railway (LA) was a railroad that operated in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. The railroad's main line extended 332 miles, from Hope, Arkansas to Shreveport and New Orleans. Branch lines served Vidalia, Louisiana (opposite Natchez, Mississippi), and Dallas, Texas.
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Louisiana & Arkansas Railway
Item: 46-L L&A original cut Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. pre-1939
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Superb stamp marks and caramel patina.
80 year+ octogenarian!
History - continued from above
The Louisiana & Arkansas Railroad was incorporated in Arkansas in 1898 for the purpose of acquiring former logging railroad properties in Arkansas and Louisiana. The railroad was constructed and initially operated under the leadership of William Buchanan, a prosperous timberman with extensive investments in southwest Arkansas and northwest Louisiana. Buchanan's partners were Harvey C. Couch and William Edenborn. Buchanan's primary company, Bodcaw Lumber Company, was headquartered in Stamps, Arkansas, and that city also served as headquarters of the L&A until the late 1920s. It was reorganized in 1902 as the Louisiana & Arkansas Railway.
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Louisiana & Arkansas Railway
Remarks: ca. post 1939
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.
Post 1939 LA&T and L&A merger key.
80 year+ octogenarian!
History - continued from above
During the late 1920s, a group of investors led by Harvey Couch began acquiring Louisiana & Arkansas stock. These investors owned electric and telephone utilities in Arkansas and Louisiana and believed that railroad ownership in their service area would also be profitable. When control of the L&A was thus secured on January 16, 1928, a new company was chartered in Delaware in 1928 to acquire the former Louisiana and Arkansas Railway Company, and to acquire and lease the Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company, that operated a marginally profitable railroad between New Orleans and Shreveport.
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Louisiana & Arkansas Railway
Remarks: ca. post 1939
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Great stamp marks and superb patina.
Post 1939 LA&T and L&A merger key.
125 year+ centenarian!
History - continued from above
The identity of the Louisiana & Arkansas gradually disappeared in the 1950s and 1960s, as the Kansas City Southern name was adopted for all properties. By 1966, all reference to the Louisiana & Arkansas had disappeared from the annual stockholder reports of Kansas City Southern. The Shreveporter, once the pride of the L&A, was discontinued on January 24, 1962, and the Southern Belle was discontinued on November 2, 1969, ending all passenger train service on the former Louisiana & Arkansas. In 1992, Kansas City Southern dissolved the subsidiary Louisiana & Arkansas Railway, although the former L&A route continues to be a major component of the Kansas City Southern.
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Louisiana & Arkansas Railway
Item: 49-L New Listing Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. post 1939
Nice large serif stamp marks and copper patina.
Post 1939 LA&T and L&A merger key.
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Louisville & Nashville Railroad
Item: 51-L Price: $65.00
Remarks: ca. post 1930
Forged by the Fraim Co.
Nice pocket worn lettering and gold patina.
Given the moniker, "The Old Reliable"
80 year+ octogenarian!
History
The Louisville & Nashville Railroad (LN) was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.
Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the great success stories of American business. Operating under one name continuously for 132 years, it survived civil war and economic depression and several waves of social and technological change.
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Louisville & Nashville Railroad
Item: 52-L Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. 1904-21
Forged by the S.R. Slaymaker Co.
Nice pocket worn serif lettering and gold patina.
100 year+ centenarian!
History - continued from above
Under Milton H. Smith, president of the company for thirty years, the L&N grew from a road with less than three hundred miles of track to a 6,000-mile system serving thirteen states. As one of the premier Southern railroads, the L&N extended its reach far beyond its namesake cities, stretching to St. Louis, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; Atlanta, Georgia; and New Orleans, Louisiana. The railroad was economically strong throughout its lifetime, operating both freight and passenger trains in a manner that earned it the nickname, "The Old Reliable."
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Louisville & Nashville Railroad
Item: 53-L Price: $55.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Modern Industries Co.
History - continued from above
The line to Memphis was opened in April 1861. It was a joint effort by the L&N, the Memphis & Ohio, and the Memphis-Clarksville & Louisville railroads.By then the Civil War had begun, with Kentucky on one side and Tennessee on the other. During the war Union and Confederate forces fought up and down the L&N, destroying as they went. By mid-1863 the major action of the war had moved to the Southeast. L&N began to pick up the pieces and get to business-and there was enough business that L&N prospered.
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Louisville & Nashville Railroad
Item: 54-L Price: $85.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Superb serif stamp marks and patina.
80 year+ octogenarian!
History - continued from above
In 1898 L&N became the sole lessee of the Georgia Railroad and the affiliated Western Railway of Alabama and Atlanta & West Point Railroad but almost immediately assigned a half interest in the lease to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL). In April 1902 Edwin Hawley and John W. Gates acquired a large block of L&N stock which they sold within a few weeks to J.P. Morgan & Co. Before the year was over Morgan sold his L&N interest - 51 percent to the ACL. In May 1902 L&N and SOU, both under J. P. Morgan's control, jointly purchased the Monon Railroad. Many pieces of the Seaboard System Railroad were in place 80 years before the creation of that railroad.
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Louisville & Nashville Railroad
Item: 55-L Price: $85.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Nice stamp marks and caramel patina.
80 year+ octogenarian!
History - continued from above
In 1971 the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, successor to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, purchased the remainder of the L&N shares it did not already own, and the company became a subsidiary. By 1982 the railroad industry was consolidating quickly, and the Seaboard Coast Line absorbed the Louisville & Nashville Railroad entirely. Then in 1986, the Seaboard System merged with the C&O and B&O and the new combined system was known as the Chessie System. Soon after the combined company became CSX Transportation (CSX), which now owns and operates all of the former Louisville and Nashville lines.
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Louisville & Nashville Railroad
Item: 56-L Price: $55.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Nice serif stamp marks and gold patina.
Key is bent but not cracked.
A scarce 1
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Louisville & Nashville Railroad
Item: 57-L Price: $45.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
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Louisville & Nashville Railroad
Item: 58-L New Listing Price: $115.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Superb serif stamp marks and dark patina.
Elegant looking coach key!
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Louisville & Nashville Railroad
Item: 58-L New Listing Price: $100.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Nice stamp marks and pocket-wear.
view key triangle opening
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Louisiana Railway & Navigation Co.
Item: 61-L Price: $145.00 $125.00
Remarks: ca. late 1800s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Early A&W hex stamp = 1st series.
Nice-legible pocket worn lettering and
two-tone patina. Note: LA&T style bit
125 year+ centenarian!
History
The Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company of Texas was chartered on March 27, 1923, to acquire a line extending from McKinney to the Texas-Louisiana state line near Waskom. The railroad had capital stock of $200,000, and the principal office was Greenville. The LR&NT was affiliated with the Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company, which operated a railroad between Shreveport and New Orleans. It was organized by Edenborn to acquire 181 miles of track between McKinney and the state line formerly operated by the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway Company of Texas. Operations of the LR&NT began on April 1, 1923. In 1926 the railroad owned fourteen locomotives and 323 cars and reported passenger earnings of $110,000 and freight earnings of $1,000,000.
On April 14, 1930, it was renamed the Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas Railway Company.
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Switch Key Directory
American Railway's Switch Key Directory
Price: HC-$25.00 | CD-$35
Whether you're 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. RRT believes the railroad company's initials stamped on each key to be the correct.
Comments on any railroad initials origin, including (typos), are welcome. Last update 08/01/2025
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