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Nacozari Railroad Nacozari Railroad SP R.R. Flag

Nacozari Railroad

Item: 4-N     Price: $175.00 $165.00

Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Superb serif stamp marks and caramel patina.
Ore feeder line to the Moctezuma smelter at Nacozari.
80 year + octogenarian!

Note

This key has a Santa Fe style key bit, and works great with AT&SF switch locks. In the beginning, the Nacozari Railroad, owned by Moctezuma Copper Co., interchanged with the Santa Fe Railroad, which explains the legacy style cut. Also, it would not surprise me, if another Nacozari switch key popped up, but with a SP style cut. All in the Family: the EP&SW and Nacozari were both ore feeder lines, both gobbled up by the Southern Pacific. EP&SW collectors might want to take a second look at this relic.

History

The Nacozari Railroad was incorporated on March 10, 1899. The company owned 76.55 miles of line from Douglas, Arizona to Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico. Originally owned by the Moctezuma Copper Company, it was acquired by the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad, which was sold to the Southern Pacific Company in 1955.

With production in the Bisbee area expanding, Douglas formed the Arizona and South Eastern Railroad in 1888. The railroad ran on a short spur of track from Bisbee to Fairbank, Arizona, where it met the mainline of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Shortly thereafter and unhappy with AT&SF rates, the line was extended to Benson, Arizona, to connect with the Southern Pacific Railroad.

The Ferrocarril de Nacozari served copper mines in Sonora state by taking the ore to the big smelter at Moctezuma. The line south from Agua Prieta was once the Nacozari Railroad that was owned by the SP, It ran to the town of Nacozari that is south of the current end of track. The SP transferred the railroad to the Mexican government in the 1960s. In the late 1960s a connection between Agua Prieta and Naco was constructed to tie the Nacozari Railroad to the rest of the Mexican railroad system. The FC Pacifico operated the railroad until merged into the FNM (NdeM) and now part of FerroMex. The line via Santa Cruz connects with the rest of the railroad system at Nogales. It was operated by the SPdeMexico and FCP before the take over by FNM and privatization.

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Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway Nashville, NC&StL R.R. Flag

Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway

Item: 7-N     Price: $95.00

Remarks: ca. 1921-30
Fraim/Slaymaker forged.
Excellent stamp marks and caramel patina.
80 year + octogenarian!

History

The Nashville-Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway was a railway company operating in the southern United States in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. It began as the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad, chartered in Nashville in December 11, 1845, built to 5 ft (1,524 mm) gauge and was the first railway to operate in the state of Tennessee. From this link between two Tennessee cities, it gradually grew until it formed one of the important railway systems of the South by the turn of the twentieth century.

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Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway NC&StL locomotive

Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway

Item: 8-N     Price: $115.00

Remarks: ca. 1879-1917
Forged by the E.T. Fraim Co.
Superb serif stamp marks and dark patina.
125 year + centenarian!

History - continued from above

During the Civil War the rail line was strategic to both the Union and Confederate armies. The Tennessee campaigns of 1862 and 1863 saw Union troops force the Confederates from Nashville to Chattanooga along the line of the railroad. The tracks and bridges were repeatedly damaged and repaired, and at different times carried supplies for both armies.

After the war. the company purchased the Nashville and Northwestern Railroad and the Hickman and Obion Railroad to Hickman, Kentucky to reach the Mississippi River. In 1873 it was reincorporated as the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway (NC&StL) (though the company's tracks never actually reached St. Louis, Missouri in the north).

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Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway NC&StL rail yard and station

Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway

Item: 9-N     Price: $125.00

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

The Louisville and Nashville Railroad, an aggressive competitor of the NC&StL, gained a controlling interest in 1880 through a hostile stock takeover that caused much rancor between the cities of Nashville and Louisville. However, the railroads continued to operate separately until finally merging in 1957. Today the Nashville-Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway is part of the CSX Transportation Co.

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Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway NC&StL rail yard

Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway

Item: 10-N     Price: $145.00

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 NC&StL also operated a number of passenger trains, a majority of them began with the word "Dixie." Thus, the railroad came to be advertised as the 'Dixie Line,' beginning in the 1920s.

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Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway 1973 movie 'Emperor of the North'    1973 movie 'Emperor of the North'    1973 movie 'Emperor of the North'

Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway

Item: 11-N     Price: $125.00

Remarks: ca. 1921-30
Fraim/Slaymaker forged.
Excellent stamp marks and two-tone patina.
80 year + octogenarian!

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Nashville & Florence Railroad Nashville & Florence Railroad L&N R.R. Flag

Nashville & Florence Railroad

Item: 14-N     Price: $100.00

Remarks: Operated from 1851-1957
Superb serif stamp marks with rustic patina.
Absorbed into the L&N.

History

The Nashville & Florence Railroad was formed in 1879 to construct a 79 mile line from Columbia, Tennessee to Florence Alabama. The Louisville & Nashville Railroad, quietly watching the development and knowing the geography of the area could be rich in iron ore and timber, quickly purchased a majority of of stock. The L&N then advanced the project of moving the planned line forward which had laid dormant for three years. The Nashville & Florence Railroad was eventually absorbed into the rapidly growing Louisville & Nashville Railroad network.

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New York Central & Harlem Railroad New York Central & Harlem Railroad NYC #999    NYC horse car

New York Central & Harlem Railroad

SOLD     Price: $100.00

Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Slaymaker forged?
Superb serif stamp marks and patina.
Merged into the NYC in 1914.
100 year + centenarian!

History

The company was incorporated on April 25, 1831 as the New York and Harlem Railroad, to link New York City with suburban Harlem. Eventually the rail line was leased to the New York Central, and the street railway line to the Metropolitan Street Railway Company (and later the New York Railways Company). When Grand Central Terminal was completed, the divorce of the two was quite obvious, but before that, where exactly did the street railway operate? For the most part, on Fourth Avenue, and extending as south as Ann Street, about a mile from the southern tip of Manhattan island.

The line became part of the New York Central Railroad system with trackage rights granted to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad into Manhattan. It is now part of the Metro-North Railroad system, and the only Manhattan trackage of that system.

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New York & Jamaica Railroad New York & Jamaica Railroad LI RR Flag

New York & Jamaica Railroad

SOLD     Price: $100.00 $90.00

Remarks: ca. post 1930
Forged by the Fraim Co.
Nice stamp marks and patina.
Dents look larger in pics.
Gobbled up by the Long Island R.R. in 1860.
A rare 1!

History

New York & Jamaica Railroad Company was organized about 1857, and constructed a railroad from the terminus of the Long Island Railroad in Jamaica to the water's edge at Hunter's Point, and when ready for opening the trains of the Long Island Railroad, instead of running over the Brooklyn & Jamaica Railroad into the city of Brooklyn, turned off at Jamaica and were brought to Hunter's Point. This diverted the main line of travel on Long Island from the city of Brooklyn to the new terminus. This new line was opened in 1860. About the same time its property, corporate rights and franchises were acquired by the Long Island Railroad Company. From that time the Brooklyn & Jamaica Railroad was run as a branch road between Jamaica and East New York.

Jamaica is a major hub station of the Long Island Rail Road, and is located in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. It is the largest transit hub on Long Island and is one of the busiest railroad stations in the country with weekday ridership exceeding 200,000 passengers.

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New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad 1948 Western Whispering Smith

New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad

Item: 20-N     New Listing     Price: $125.00

Remarks: ca. pre-1941
Superb large serif stamp marks and gold patina.
100 year + centenarian!

History

The Nypano Railroad, earlier the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Railroad, was organized from the bankrupt Atlantic and Great Western Railroad in March 1880.

The road was owned by five of the English investors in the A&GW and ran from Salamanca, New York to Dayton, Ohio. J. H. Devereaux, former president of the A&GW, was elected first president of the new company. Devereaux was succeeded by Jarvis M. Adams who, on March 6, 1883, leased the NYP&O to the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad. On February 27, 1896 the property was sold under foreclosure to representatives of the Erie, and subsequently reorganized as the Nypano. The company was merged into the Erie in 1941.

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New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad 1948 Western Whispering Smith    1948 Western Whispering Smith

New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad

Item: 22-N     Price: $125.00

Remarks: ca. pre-1941
Forged by the E.T. Fraim Co.
Superb serif stamp marks and two-tone patina.
100 year + centenarian!

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New Orleans, Texas & Mexico Railroad New Orleans, Texas & Mexico Railroad MoPac R.R. Flag       GCL RR Flag

New Orleans, Texas & Mexico Railroad

Item: 24-N     Price: $115.00

Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice stamp marks and gold patina.

History

The New Orleans Texas & Mexico Railway was the overiding corporate entity of the Gulf Coast Lines. These lines were owned by the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad (Frisco) up until the mid-1920s when the Missouri Pacific Railroad (MoPac) took them over.

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New Orleans, Texas & Mexico Railway New Orleans, Texas & Mexico Railway NdeM passenger train     A railyard in Mexico

New Orleans, Texas & Mexico Railway

SOLD     Price: $125.00

Remarks: ca. post 1930
Forged by S. Slaymaker Co.
Superb serif stamp marks and caramel patina.
A nice 1!

History - continued from above

As the "corporate workhorse" of the Gulf Coast Lines, the NOT&M was used to purchase many smaller Texas lines, including the New Ibernia & Northern (1916), Houston & Brazos Valley (1924), and International-Great Northern (1924). When the MoPac gained control of the NOT&M, it still operated as a buying machine, and later gained control of the San Antonio-Uvalde & Gulf (1925) and the Asphalt Belt (1925), the Sugarland (1926), the Asherton & Gulf (1926), the Rio Grande City (1926), the New Orleans & Lower Coast (1926), the San Antonio Southern (1926), affectionately known as the "Sausage." All of the flags of the Gulf Coast Lines and its acquired roads were absorbed into the MoPac in 1956.

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New Orleans & Lower Coast Railway New Orleans & Lower Coast Railway D&RG R.R. Flag

New Orleans & Lower Coast Railway

Item: 27-N     Price: $135.00

Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice stamp marks and goldl patina.
Low serial #

History

The New Orleans & Lower Coast Railway was a subsidiary of the Rio Grande Pacific Company. In 1911, this company was combined with the New Orleans Southern Railway to form the New Orleans, Southern & Grand Isle Railway, which by 1916 was sold to form the New Orleans & Lower Coast Railroad. By 1926 this last independent operation was under the control of the Missouri Pacific and later absorbed.

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New York Central Railroad-Ohio Central Lines New York Central Railroad-Ohio Central Lines T&OC yard crew

New York Central Railroad-Ohio Central Lines

Item: 29-N     New Listing     Price: $225.00

Remarks: ca. late 1800s
Great stamp marks and bright gold patina.
Very early employee key issued #27
125 year + centenarian!

History

The Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad was chartered in 1885. The T&OC had two primary branches, an Eastern and a Western, which ran from Toledo to Thurston Ohio. The Western Branch ran through Columbus. In Thurston the branches combined and continued Southeasterly through Ohio to Coal Mines beyond Charleston, W. Va. There were also various other branch lines and the main line through Charleston, W. Va. T&OC and affiliated lines were controlled at different times by the Hocking Valley Railway and by the New York Central System. History is hazy at this point in time. The same year I was born 1952, the railroad ceased operations. When exactly, the new owner's, put the T&OC's operation back in service, is unclear. Rail service continues today on almost all of the Western Branch.

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New York Central Railroad New York Central Railroad NYC R.R. Flag

New York Central Railroad

Item: 31-N     Price: $100.00

Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Great stamp marks and bright gold patina.
100 year + centenarian!

History

The New York Central Railroad (reporting mark NYC) was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes region of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midwest along with the intermediate cities of Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Detroit. New York Central was headquartered in New York City's New York Central Building, adjacent to its largest station, Grand Central Terminal.

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New York Central Railroad New York Central Railroad 1959 movie North by Northwest    1959 movie North by Northwest    1959 movie North by Northwest

New York Central Railroad

Item: 32-N     Price: $100.00

Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Great stamp marks and bright gold patina.
Key used on lines east of Buffalo
100 year + centenarian!

History - continued from above

The Mohawk and Hudson Railroad was the oldest segment of the NYC merger and was the first permanent railroad in the state of New York and one of the first railroads in the United States. It was chartered in 1826 to connect the Mohawk River at Schenectady to the Hudson River at Albany, providing a way for freight and especially passengers to avoid the extensive and time-consuming locks on the Erie Canal between Schenectady and Albany. The Mohawk and Hudson opened on September 24, 1831, and changed its name to the Albany and Schenectady Railroad on April 19, 1847.

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New York Central Railroad New York Central Railroad NYC R.R. Flag

New York Central Railroad

Item: 33-N     Price: $125.00

Remarks: ca. late 1800s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Early A&W hex stamp = 1st series.
A&W hex stamp under the "R."
Superb lettering and gold patina.
Key used on lines east of Buffalo.
125 year + centenarian!

History - continued from above

The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, also known as the Big Four, was formed on June 30, 1889 by the merger of the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railway, the Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Chicago Railway and the Indianapolis and St. Louis Railway. The following year, the company gained control of the former Indiana Bloomington and Western Railway. By 1906, the Big Four was itself acquired by the New York Central Railroad. It operated independently until 1930, it was then referred to as the Big Four Route.

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New York Central Railroad New York Central Railroad 1959 movie North by Northwest    1959 movie North by Northwest    1959 movie North by Northwest

New York Central Railroad

Item: 34-N     Price: $100.00

Remarks: ca. late 1800s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Early A&W hex stamp = 1st series.
Very nice pocket worn lettering and gold patina.
125 year + centenarian!

History - continued from above

Steam locomotives of the NYC were optimized for speed on that flat raceway of a main line, rather than slow mountain lugging. Famous locomotives of the system included the well-known 4-6-4 Hudsons, particularly the 1937-38 J-3a's; 4-8-2 WW2 era L-3 and L-4 Mohawks; and the postwar S-class Niagaras: fast 4-8-4 locomotives often considered the epitome of their breed by steam locomotive aficionados.

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New York Central System New York Central System 1959 movie North by Northwest    1959 movie North by Northwest    1959 movie North by Northwest

New York Central System Railroad

Item: 35-N     Price: $55.00

Remarks: ca. post 1935
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Superb stamp marks and two-tone patina.

History - continued from above

The generally level topography of the NYC system had a character distinctively different than the mountainous terrain of its archrival, the Pennsylvania Railroad. Most of its major routes, including New York to Chicago, followed rivers and had no significant grades other than West Albany Hill. This influenced a great deal about the line, from advertising to locomotive design, built around its flagship New York-Chicago Water Level Route.

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New York Central System New York Central System Strangers on a Train    Strangers on a Train poster    Strangers on a Train

New York Central System Railroad

Item: 36-N     Price: $45.00

Remarks: ca. post 1935
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.

History - continued from above

At various times during the 1940s and 1950s, the Century and other NYC trains exchanged sleeping cars in Chicago with western trains such as the Super Chief and the City of San Francisco. The cars, which contained roomettes, double bedrooms and drawing rooms, provided through sleeper service between New York City and Los Angeles or San Francisco (Oakland Pier).

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New York Central System New York Central System Mexican Central Ry train

New York Central System Railroad

Item: 37-N     Price: $45.00

Remarks: ca. post 1935
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.

History - continued from above

In 1914, the operations of eleven subsidiaries were merged with the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad, re-forming the New York Central Railroad. From the beginning of the merger, the railroad was publicly referred to as the New York Central Lines. In the summer of 1935, the identification was changed to the New York Central System, that name being kept until the merger with the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1968.

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New York Central System New York Central System New York Central passenger station

New York Central System Railroad

Item: 38-N     Price: $45.00

Remarks: ca. post 1935
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.

History - continued from above

On January 26, 1968, the NYC's last passenger timetable became effective. The final timetable revealed a drastically truncated schedule in anticipation of its merger with the PRR. Most local and long-distance passenger service had ended, including that of the 20th Century Limited.

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New York Central System New York Central System New York Central Railroad locomotive and crew

New York Central System Railroad

Item: 39-N     Price: $45.00

Remarks: ca. post 1935
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice stamp marks and gold patina.

History - continued from above

The generally level topography of the NYC system had a character distinctively different from the mountainous terrain of its archrival, the Pennsylvania Railroad. Most of its major routes, including New York to Chicago, followed rivers and had no significant grades other than West Albany Hill and the Berkshire Hills on the Boston and Albany. This influenced a great deal about the line, from advertising to locomotive design, built around its flagship New York-Chicago Water Level Route.

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New York Central Railroad New York Central Railroad New York Central Railroad Hudson (4-6-4) type locomotives

New York Central Railroad

Item: 40-N     Price: $110.00

Remarks: ca. pre-1927
Forged by the Wilson Bohannan Co.
Superb serif lettering and two-tone patina.
Key barrel is 1/8 smaller than standard NYC key.
100 year + centenarian!

History - continued from above

For two-thirds of the twentieth century the New York Central had some of the most famous trains in the United States. Its 20th Century Limited (Century), begun in 1902, ran between Grand Central Terminal in New York and LaSalle Street Station, Chicago, and was its most famous train, known for its red carpet treatment and first-class service. Its last run was made on December 2-3, 1967.

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New York Central System Railroad New York Central System Railroad NYC train car

New York Central System Railroad

Item: 41-N         Price: $50.00

Remarks: ca. pre-1927
Most likely Fraim forged.
Nice serif stamp marks and copper patina.

History - continued from above

At various times, beginning in 1946 and continuing into the mid-1950s, the Century and other NYC trains exchanged sleeping cars in Chicago with western trains such as the Super Chief and the City of San Francisco. The cars, which contained roomettes, double bedrooms and drawing rooms, provided through sleeper service between New York City and Los Angeles or San Francisco.

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New York Central System New York Central System NYC's flagship colors

New York Central System Railroad

Item: 42-N     Price: $95.00

Remarks: ca. post 1935
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.
Key used on lines west of Buffalo.

History - continued from above

Despite having some of the most modern steam locomotives anywhere, NYC's difficult financial position caused it to convert to more-economical diesel-electric power rapidly. All lines east of Cleveland, Ohio were dieselized between August 7, 1953 (east of Buffalo) and September, 1953 (Cleveland-Buffalo). Niagaras were all retired by July, 1956.

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New York Central System New York Central System NYC 1926 map

New York Central System Railroad

Item: 43-N     track dept.     Price: $115.00

Remarks: ca. post 1935
Superb serif stamp marks and caramel patina.
Check out the map to see just how large
the NYC was in 1926.

History - continued from above

In 1968 the NYC merged with its former rival, the Pennsylvania Railroad, to form Penn Central. Penn Central went bankrupt in 1970 and merged into Conrail in 1976. Conrail was broken up in 1998, and portions of its system were transferred to CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway, with CSX acquiring most of the old New York Central trackage.

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New York Central Railroad New York Central Railroad NYC R.R.    west side cowboy

New York Central Railroad

Item: 44-N     repair track key     Price: $145.00

Remarks: ca. late 1800s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Nice stamp marks and two-tone gold patina.
125 year + centenarian!

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New York Central System New York Central System 1951 Strangers on a Train    1951 Strangers on a Train    1951 Strangers on a Train

New York Central System Railroad

Item: 45-N     Price: $85.00

Remarks: ca. post 1935
The SP also used this steel shorty style.

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New York Central System New York Central System NYC R.R. Flag

New York Central System Railroad

Item: 46-N     Price: $70.00

Remarks: ca. post 1935
Great stamp marks.
Key used for NYC/NYCS "Moon" locks.

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New York Central Railroad New York Central Railroad NYC's switchtender oils switch rods

New York Central Railroad

Item: 47-N     Price: $85.00

Remarks: ca. pre-1935
Superb stamp marks.
Key used for NYC/NYCS "Moon" locks.
No "S" for System. Older than key above,
but same style cut.

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New York Central Railroad TH New York Central Railroad TH 1951 Strangers on a Train

New York Central Railroad

Item: 48-N     tool house key     Price: $45.00

Remarks: ca. pre-1927
Forged by the Wilson Bohannan Co.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.
100 year + centenarian!

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New York Central Railroad TH New York Central Railroad TH NYC R.R. Flag

New York Central Railroad

Item: 49-N     tool house key     Price: $45.00

Remarks: ca. pre-1927
Forged by the Wilson Bohannan Co.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.
No "S" for System. Older than key below,
but same style cut.
100 year + centenarian!

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New York Central System TH New York Central System TH President Teddy Roosevelt

New York Central System Railroad

Item: 50-N     tool house key     Price: $55.00

Remarks: ca. post 1935
Most likely Bohannan forged.
Nice stamp marks and gold patina.

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New York Central System TH New York Central System TH 1936 Rexall Train    1936 Rexall Train

New York Central System Railroad

Item: 51-N     tool house key     Price: $55.00

Remarks: ca. post 1935
Most likely Bohannan forged.
Nice stamp marks and gold patina.

Pictures above:

The NYC hosted the streamlined steam-powered Rexall Train of 1936, which toured 47 states
to promote the Rexall chain of drug stores and to provide space for company conventions.

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New York Metro New York Metro New York Metro train car

New York Metro

Item: 54-N     Price: $95.00 $75.00

Remarks: ca. mid 1900s
Superb stamp marks and caramel patina.
Passenger rail line.

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New York and New England Railroad New York and New England Railroad NY&NH R.R. Flag

New York and New England Railroad

Item: 55-N     New Listing     Price: $295.00

Remarks: Operated 1846-1898
Forged by T. Slaight
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.
A beauty at 150-175 years old!

History

The New York and New England Railroad (NY&NE) was a railroad connecting southern New York State with Hartford, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; and Boston, Massachusetts. It operated under that name from 1873 to 1893. Prior to 1873 it was known as the Boston, Hartford and Erie Railroad, which had been formed from several smaller railroads that dated back to 1846. After a bankruptcy in 1893, the NY&NE was reorganized and briefly operated as the New England Railroad before being leased to the competing New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1898.

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Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line NOPB R.R. Flag

Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line

Item: 56-N     Price: $100.00

Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Very nice stamp marks and gold patina.

History

The Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad (reporting mark NPBL) is a class III railroad operating in southern Virginia.

The Belt Line was originally formed by eight railroads: Norfolk & Western, Chesapeake & Ohio, Southern Railway Co., New York, Philadelphia & Norfolk, Atlantic & Danville Railway, Atlantic Coast Line, Norfolk Southern Railway (1942-1982), and Seaboard Air Line. The NPBL is owned fifty-seven percent by Norfolk Southern Railway and forty-three percent by CSX Transportation.

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Hypnotherapy

New York-Ontario & Western Railroad New York-Ontario & Western Railway General Electric 44-ton switcher, Duluth, GA    NYO&W R.R. Flag    OW F-series

New York, Ontario & Western Railroad

Item: 58-N     Price: $115.00

Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Very nice stamp marks and patina.
80 year + octogenarian!

History

The New York-Ontario & Western Railway, more commonly known as the O&W or NYO&W, was a regional railroad with origins in 1868, lasting until March 29, 1957 when it was ordered liquidated by a US bankruptcy judge. The O&W holds the distinction of being the first notable U.S. railroad to be abandoned in its entirety.

The railroad began life as the New York and Oswego Midland Railroad, organized by Dewitt C. Littlejohn in 1868. Its mainline extended from Weehawken, New Jersey in the greater New York City area to Oswego, New York, a port city on Lake Ontario. It had branch lines to Scranton, Pennsylvania; Kingston, New York; Port Jervis, New York; Monticello, New York; Delhi, New York; Utica, New York and Rome, New York. The part south of Cornwall, New York was operated over the New York Central Railroad's West Shore Railroad via trackage rights.

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New York, Ontario & Western Railroad New York, Ontario & Western Railroad NYO&W Bobber Caboose

New York, Ontario & Western Railroad

Item: 61-N     Price: $125.00

Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Superb serif stamp marks and silver patina.

Legacy

By virtue of its superb online scenery and anachronistic operations, the O&W retains "cult status" among railroad and history buffs 64 years after its abandonment, with periodic bus tours of remaining railroad artifacts. New York State Route 17 parallels the O&W from south of Liberty to Hancock in Sullivan and Delaware counties.

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New York State Railway New York State Railway NYS-RY Flag

New York State Railway

Item: 63-N     Price: $100.00

Remarks: ca. 1879-1917
Forged by the E.T. Fraim Co.
Superb serif stamp marks and patina.
125 year + centenarian trolley key!

History

New York State Railways was a subsidiary of the New York Central Railroad that controlled several large city streetcar and electric interurban systems in upstate New York. New York State Railways was formed in 1909 when the properties controlled by the Mohawk Valley Company were merged.

New York State Railways emerged from receivership in 1934, and gradually the remaining core city lines were sold as separate operations.

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New York State Railway New York State Railway NYS-RY Flag

New York State Railway

Item: 64-N     Price: $85.00

Remarks: ca. 1879-1917
Forged by the E.T. Fraim Co.
Superb serif stamp marks and patina.
125 year + centenarian trolley key!

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New Hope & Ivyland Railroad New Hope & Ivyland Railroad Pennsy R.R. Flag

New Hope & Ivyland Railroad

Item: 67-N     Price: $55.00

Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Nice stamp marks and copper/gold patina.

History

The NH&I got its start as the Northeast Pennsylvania Railroad. Its trains began running between New Hope and Philadelphia in 1891. Later incorpated into the Reading System, the NH&I became a classic milk route, providing freight and passenger servive to residents of a rural area.

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New Hope & Ivyland Railroad New Hope & Ivyland Railroad Farmers shipping hay

New Hope & Ivyland Railroad

Item: 68-N     Price: $55.00

Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Different style cut than NH&I key above.

History - continued from above

The NHRR was originally known as the New Hope Branch of the Reading Company (RDG), which leased the North Pennsylvania Railroad, of which it was a part. The railroad ran as far as Hartsville Station (near Bristol Road) until March 29, 1891, when the line was extended to the long-desired terminal of New Hope, Pennsylvania.

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Nickel Plate Road Nickel Plate Road NKP R.R. Flag

Nickel Plate Road

aka "The New York, Chicago & St. Louis R.R."

Item: 73-N     Price: $75.00

Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.

History

The Nickel Plate Railroad was constructed in 1881 along the South Shore of the Great Lakes connecting Buffalo and Chicago to compete with the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway. The railroad operated in the mid-central United States. Commonly referred to as the Nickel Plate Road, the railroad served a large area, including trackage in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. Its primary connections included Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Toledo. In 1964 the Nickel Plate Road and several other mid-western carriers were merged into the larger Norfolk and Western Railway.

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Nickel Plate Road Nickel Plate Road NKP R.R. Flag

Nickel Plate Road

aka "The New York, Chicago & St. Louis R.R."

Item: 74-N     Price: Price: $85.00

Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice stamp marks and gold patina.

History - continued from above

Jay Gould and William Vanderbilt together oversaw all east-west rail traffic in the mid-west. The Seney Syndicate, owners of a 350-mile railroad, the Lake Erie and Western Railroad, were interested in tapping new sources of revenue. The stage was set for the creation of the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad.

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Nickel Plate Road Nickel Plate Road NKP #765 (2-8-4)

Nickel Plate Road

aka "The New York, Chicago & St. Louis R.R."

Item: 75-N     NKP Yale signal lock     Price: $45.00

Remarks: Key will work this type of lock.

History - continued from above

As the financial situation of American railroading continued to decline after World War II, the Nickel Plate Road together with the Wabash and several smaller carriers merged with the profitable Norfolk and Western (N&W) on October 16, 1964.

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Nickel Plate Road Nickel Plate Road NKP R.R. Flag

Nickel Plate Road

aka "The New York, Chicago & St. Louis R.R."

Item: 76-N     NKP Utility Lock     Price: $55.00

Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Corbin Co.
Key will most likely work with a NKP utility
lock such as this style shown.

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New York-Chicago & St. Louis Railroad New York-Chicago & St. Louis Railroad NKP R.R. Flag

New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad

aka "The Nickel Plate Road"

Item: 79-N     Price: $125.00

Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Superb stamp marks and yellow-gold patina.
100 year + centenarian!

History - continued from above

The Seney Syndicate, headed by banker George I. Seney, met at Seney's New York City bank and organized the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Company on February 3, 1881. The original proposal for the NYC&StL was a 340-mile railroad west from Cleveland, Ohio, to Chicago, Illinois, with a 325-mile branch to St. Louis, Missouri.

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New York-Chicago & St. Louis Railway New York-Chicago & St. Louis Railway NKP #743

New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railway

aka "The Nickel Plate Road"

Item: 80-N     Price: $125.00

Remarks: ca. late 1800s
Superb serif stamp marks and gold patina.
Stylish tapered barrel.
Rare "RY" stamp. A beauty!
100 year + centenarian!

History - continued from above

Another reason for the popularity of the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway was the positive economic impact on cities that any new railroad went through at that time. During a newspaper war to attract the NYC&St.L, the Norwalk, Ohio Chronicle Newspaper referred to it as a "double-track, nickel-plated railroad." The railroad adopted the nickname and it became better known as the Nickel Plate Road.

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New York-Chicago & St. Louis Railroad New York-Chicago & St. Louis Railroad NKP R.R. Flag

New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad

aka "The Nickel Plate Road"

Item: 81-N     Price: $125.00

Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Very nice stamp marks and gold patina.
100 year + centenarian beauty!

History - continued from above

The idea of an east-west railroad across northern Ohio was very popular with the people of Ohio. They wanted to break the high freight rates charged by Jay Gould and William Vanderbilt. No one was less popular in Ohio than William Vanderbilt since the December 29, 1876, collapse of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway's Ashtabula River trestle, where 64 people had been injured and 92 were killed or died later from injuries.

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New York-Chicago & St. Louis Railroad New York-Chicago & St. Louis Railroad NKP flagship colors

New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad

aka "The Nickel Plate Road"

Item: 82-N     Price: $125.00

Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Superb stamp marks and two-tone patina.
100 year + centenarian!

History - continued from above

The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway was controlled by the New York Central Railroad's Alfred Holland Smith, a close friend of the Van Sweringens. He had guided the Van Sweringens and even financed their rapid transit to Shaker Heights. In late 1915, the Attorney General of the United States advised the New York Central that its control of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern and the Nickel Plate was in violation of the Federal antitrust laws.

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New York-Chicago & St. Louis Railroad New York-Chicago & St. Louis Railroad NKP #526

New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad

aka "The Nickel Plate Road"

Item: 83-N     Price: $100.00

Remarks: ca. early-mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice stamp marks and gold patina.

History - continued from above

On February 1, 1916, Alfred Smith called his friends, the Van Sweringens, and offered them the Nickel Plate. They bought it for $8.5 million on April 13, 1916, equal to $202,200,000 today. In return for operating concessions and access to certain stations, they only put up a little over $500,000 (equal to $11,890,000 today) but they controlled 75% of Nickel Plate's voting stock.

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New York-Chicago & St. Louis Railroad New York-Chicago & St. Louis Railroad Origin of the NKP moniker

New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad

aka "The Nickel Plate Road"

Item: 84-N     Price: $145.00

Remarks: ca. late 1800s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Early A&W hex stamp = 1st series.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.
Double digit serial #
100 year + centenarian!

History - continued from above

The Van Sweringens had no intention of running the Nickel Plate. Alfred Smith was happy to give the Van Sweringens a vice-president of the New York Central, John J. Bernet, and some of his top men. Smith wanted to show that the Van Sweringens were not New York Central puppets, and the Nickel Plate needed to earn money to retire the $6.5 million in notes owed to the New York Central.

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New York-Chicago & St. Louis Railroad New York-Chicago & St. Louis Railroad NKP R.R. Flag

New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad

aka "The Nickel Plate Road"

Item: 85-N     Price: $175.00

Remarks: ca. late 1800s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Early A&W hex stamp = 1st series.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.
They don't make them like this anymore!
125 year + centenarian beauty!

History - continued from above

During Bernet's reign, the Nickel Plate grew substantially. In 1922, the Nickel Plate purchased the Lake Erie and Western Railroad, giving it access to Sandusky, Ohio and Peoria, Illinois. Later that year, on December 28, the Nickel Plate purchased the Toledo, St. Louis and Western Railroad, also known as the "Clover Leaf Route," finally giving the Nickel Plate access to the St. Louis area, as well as to the port in Toledo, Ohio. Bernet also doubled the railroad's total freight tonnage and average speeds system wide, while cutting fuel consumption in half. Bernet left the Nickel Plate in late 1926. Bernet returned to the Nickel Plate in 1933. In 1934, Bernet ordered 15 Berkshire locomotives, which would become legendary with the Nickel Plate. Bernet remained as the president of the company until his death in 1935.

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New York-Chicago & St. Louis Railroad New York-Chicago & St. Louis Railroad 1959 film Odds Against Tomorrow    Promotional movie poster    1959 film Odds Against Tomorrow

New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad

aka "The Nickel Plate Road"

Item: 86-N     repair track key    Price: $100.00

Remarks: ca. post 1930
Forged by the E.T. Fraim Co.
Superb stamp marks and dark patina.
80 year + octogenarian!

History - continued from above

Starting about 1877, two great railroad developers, William H. Vanderbilt and Jay Gould, began competing for the railroad traffic along the south shore of the Great Lakes. By 1878 William Vanderbilt had a monopoly on rail traffic between Buffalo, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; and Chicago, because he owned the only railroad linking those cities - the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway.

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New York-Chicago & St. Louis Railroad New York-Chicago & St. Louis Railroad NKP R.R. Flag

New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad

aka "The Nickel Plate Road"

Item: 87-N     repair track key    Price: $125.00

Remarks: ca. post 1930
Forged by the E.T. Fraim Co.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.
80 year + octogenarian!

History - continued from above

By 1881 Jay Gould controlled about 15% of all U.S. railroad mileage, most of it west of the Mississippi River and he was considered the most ruthless financial operator in America. Gould's major railroad east of the Mississippi River was the 335-mile Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway (Wabash). The Wabash mainline ran from St. Louis, Missouri, to Toledo, Ohio, where it was forced to deliver its railroad traffic to William H. Vanderbilt's Lake Shore Railroad for delivery to the eastern United States.

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New York & Long Branch Railroad New York & Long Branch Railroad JCL R.R. Flag     Pennsy RR Flag

New York & Long Branch Railroad

SOLD     Price: $135.00

Remarks: ca. late 1800s
Stylish ring barrel.
Superb serif stamp marks and patina.
125 year + centenarian!

History

The New York & Long Branch Railroad (NYLB) was a railroad in central New Jersey, running from Bay Head Junction in Bay Head to Perth Amboy, where it connected to the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Perth Amboy & Elizabethport Railroad. The railroad was jointly owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Central Railroad of New Jersey and became property of Conrail in 1976. It is now part of New Jersey Transit's North Jersey Coast Line.

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New York & Long Branch Railroad New York & Long Branch Railroad Asbury Park station stop

New York & Long Branch Railroad

Item: 90-N     Price: $25.00

Remarks: ca. mid-1900s. Slaymaker forged?

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New York-Lake Erie & Western Railroad New York-Lake Erie & Western Railroad Erie R.R. Flag

New York, Lake Erie & Western Railroad

Item: 93-N     Price: $125.00

Remarks: ca. late 1800s
Forged by the T. Slaight Co.
Superb serif stamp marks and gold patina.
125 year + centenarian!

History - 1878-1895

The New York and Erie Rail Road was chartered April 24, 1832 by Governor of New York, Enos T. Throop to connect the Hudson River at Piermont, north of New York City, west to Lake Erie at Dunkirk. On February 16, 1841 the railroad was authorized to cross into the northeast corner of Pennsylvania on the west side of the Delaware River. Construction began in 1836.

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New York-Lake Erie & Western Railroad New York-Lake Erie & Western Railroad Vanderbilt & James Fisk

New York, Lake Erie & Western Railroad

Item: 94-N     Price: $125.00

Remarks: ca. late 1800s
Forged by the T. Slaight Co.
Superb serif stamp marks and copper patina.
125 year + centenarian!

History - continued from above

In the beginning, like most start-up roads, the NY&E went through troubled times. After being reorganized as the Erie Railway in 1861, the Erie still did not see profits and via bankruptcy was sold in 1878 to become the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad. By 1893, the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad went into bankruptcy reorganization again and emerged in 1895 as the Erie Railroad.

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New York-Lake Erie & Western Railroad New York-Lake Erie & Western Railroad Erie R.R. Flag

New York, Lake Erie & Western Railroad

Item: 95-N     Price: $100.00

Remarks: ca. pre-1927
Forged by the Wilson Bohannan Co.
Very nice serif stamp marks and gold patina.
100 year + centenarian!

History - continued from above

In 1960 the Erie merged with the Delaware-Lackawanna & Western Railroad to form the Erie-Lackawanna. In 1976 this organization and five other lines that had gone bankrupt were merged to form the Conrail system, which in 1999 became part of the CSX and Norfolk Southern railroads.

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New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad NYNH&H R.R. Flag

New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad

Item: 97-N     Price: $75.00

Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Key listed in the
"American Railway's Switch Key Directory."

History

The New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (NH), commonly known as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in New England from 1872 to 1968, dominating the region's rail traffic for the first half of the 20th century.

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New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad NYNH&H R.R. Flag

New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad

SOLD     repair track key     Price: $75.00

Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Rustic style key with superb stamp marks.
Key listed in the
"American Railway's Switch Key Directory."

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Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad N&PB R.R. Flag

Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad

Item: 100-N     Price: $135.00 $120.00

Remarks: ca. post 1930
Forged by the Fraim Co.
Superb stamp marks and patina.
80 year + octogenarian beauty!

History

The Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad (NPBL) is a class III railroad operating in southern Virginia. The NPBL serves Norfolk, Portsmouth and Chesapeake and has been operating since 1898. The NPBL is owned fifty-seven percent by Norfolk Southern Railway and forty-three percent by CSX Transportation. The NPBL interchanges with; Chesapeake and Albemarle Railroad, CSX Transportation, Bay Coast Railroad (formerly the Eastern Shore Railroad), and Norfolk Southern. The NPBL is a terminal switching company that owns 36 miles of track, (plus 27 miles of trackage rights) and links commerce around the deepwater port from Sewells Point to Portsmouth Marine Terminal, including the Southern Branch Elizabeth River.

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Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad N&PBL R.R.

Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad

Item: 101-N     Price: $85.00 $75.00

Remarks: ca. post 1930
Forged by the Fraim Co.
Key got plenty of use and still looks good.
80 year + octogenarian!

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Northwestern Pennsylvania Railway Northwestern Pennsylvania Railway PRR Flag

Northwestern Pennsylvania Railway

Item: 103-N     interurban line     Price: $95.00 $75.00

Remarks: ca. early 1900s.
Nice stamp marks and carmel patina.
NW stamped on both sides.
Distinctive Pennsy style bit.

History

The Pennsylvania Trolley Lines received a face lift and by May 2, 1909, the new electrified railway had twenty-seven trains going through Cambridge Springs, serving as the connection to Meadville. A traveler who used the line from Cambridge Springs to Erie would expect a commute of about 85 minutes. However, On November 6, 1912, it was agreed that the two services would merge and become one operation, the Northwestern Pennsylvania Railway, providing direct service between Erie and Meadville.

In 1925, with the introduction of bus service to Erie and Meadville, the decline of the trolleys expanded even further. Service was cut from downtown Meadville in September 1927, service was ended to Linesville the same year. The Meadville and Conneaut Park line was canceled in August 1928. Finally, the last service of trolley lines through Cambridge Springs, which went from Meadville to Erie, was ended on September 28, 1928.

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Northern Pacific Railroad Northern Pacific Railroad NP R.R. Flag

Northern Pacific Railroad

Item: 106-N     Price: $95.00

Remarks: ca. 1921-30
Fraim/Slaymaker forged.
Superb serif stamp marks and caramel patina.
80 year + octogenarian!

History

The Northern Pacific Railway (NP) was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States from Minnesota to the Pacific Coast. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly 40 million acres of land grants, which it used to raise money in Europe for construction. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in western Montana on Sept. 8, 1883.

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Northern Pacific Railroad Northern Pacific Railroad NP Ry depot Paradise, MT

Northern Pacific Railroad

Item: 107-N     Price: $100.00

Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co
Nice stamp marks and dark patina.
Shows better in your hand.
100 year + centenarian!

History - continued from above

Congress chartered the Northern Pacific Railway Company on July 2, 1864 with the goals of connecting the Great Lakes with Puget Sound on the Pacific, opening vast new lands for farming, ranching, lumbering and mining, and linking Washington and Oregon to the rest of the country. Congress granted the railroad a potential 60 million acres of land in exchange for building rail transportation to an undeveloped territory.

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Northern Pacific Railroad Northern Pacific Railroad Tracks laid on a frozen Missouri River

Northern Pacific Railroad

Item: 108-N     Price: $85.00

Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Nice stamp marks and gold patina.
100 year + centenarian!

History - continued from above

In 1886 the Northern Pacific also opened colonization offices in Germany and Scandinavia, attracting farmers with cheap package transportation and purchase deals. The success of the NP was based on the abundant crops of wheat and other grains and the attraction to settlers of the Red River Valley along the Minnesota-North Dakota border between 1881 and 1890. The Northern Pacific reached Dakota Territory at Fargo in 1886, and began its career as one of the central factors in the economic growth of North Dakota. The climate, although very cold, was suitable for wheat, which was in high demand in the cities of the United States and Europe. Most of the settlers were German and Scandinavian immigrants who bought the land cheaply, and raised large families. They shipped huge quantities of wheat to Minneapolis, while buying all sorts of equipment and home supplies to be shipped in by rail.

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Northern Pacific Railway Northern Pacific Railway 1940 Comedy My Little Chickadee    1940 Comedy My Little Chickadee    1940 comedy My Little Chickadee

Northern Pacific Railway

Item: 109-N     Price: $125.00

Remarks: ca. 1921-30
Forged by Fraim/Slaymaker Co.
Nice serif stamp marks and caramel patina.
80 year + octogenarian!

History - continued from above

After the turn of the century the Northern Pacific had a record of steady improvement. Together with the Great Northern, the Northern Pacific also gained control of the Chicago-Burlington & Quincy Railroad, gaining important access to Chicago, the central Middle West and Texas, as well as the Spokane-Portland & Seattle Railway, an important route through eastern and southern Washington. Its physical plant was upgraded continuously, with double-tracking in key areas, and automatic block signaling along its entire main line. This in turn gave way to centralized traffic control, microwave and radio communications as time progressed.

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Northern Pacific Railway Northern Pacific Railway NP R.R. Flag

Northern Pacific Railway

Item: 110-N     Price: $95.00

Remarks: ca. 1921-30
Fraim/Slaymaker forged.
Superb serif stamp marks and caramel patina.
80 year + octogenarian!

History - continued from above

In later years, Louis W. Menk became president of the Northern Pacific, and then he brought it together with the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, the Great Northern Railway, and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway on March 2, 1970, to form the Burlington Northern Railroad. The merger was allowed despite a challenge in the Supreme Court, essentially reversing the outcome of the 1904 Northern Securities ruling. A 900 mi (1,400 km) portion of the former Northern Pacific mainline in Montana was spun off and is now operated by Montana Rail Link.

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Northern Pacific Railway Northern Pacific Railway NP engine No.2223 & coaches

Northern Pacific Railway

Item: 111-N     New Listing     Price: $75.00

Remarks: ca. 1879-1917
Forged by the E.T. Fraim Co.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.
125 year + centenarian!

History - continued from above

The NP's premier passenger train, the "North Coast Limited" was among the safest and finest in the nation, suffering only one passenger fatality in nearly 70 years of operation.

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Northern Pacific Railroad Northern Pacific Railroad Northern Pacific locomotive

Northern Pacific Railroad

Item: 112-N     Price: $150.00

Remarks: ca. late 1800s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Early A&W hex stamp = 1st series.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.
125 year + centenarian beauty!

History - continued from above

The Northern Pacific was headquartered in Minnesota, first in Brainerd, then in Saint Paul. It had a tumultuous financial history; the NP merged with other lines in 1970 to form the Burlington Northern Railroad, which in turn merged with the Santa Fe to become the BNSF Railway in 1996.

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Northern Pacific Railroad Northern Pacific Railroad NP R.R. Flag

Northern Pacific Railroad

Item: 113-N     Price: $115.00

Remarks: ca. 1879-1917
Forged by the E.T. Fraim Co.
Nice stamp marks and bronze patina.
125 year + centenarian!

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Northern Pacific Railroad Northern Pacific Railroad NP rail yard

Northern Pacific Railroad

Item: 114-N     New Listing     Price: $150.00

Remarks: ca. 1879-1917
Forged by the E.T. Fraim Co.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.

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Northern Pacific Railroad Northern Pacific Railroad NP R.R. Flag

Northern Pacific Railroad

Item: 115-N     New Listing     Price: $125.00

Remarks: ca. 1879-1917
Forged by the E.T. Fraim Co.
Nice stamp marks and gold patina.

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Norfolk Southern Railroad Norfolk Southern Railroad NS R.R. Flag

Norfolk Southern Railroad

Item: 116-N     Price: 100.00

Remarks: ca. early-mid 1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice stamp marks and dark patina.
Not to be confused with today's
Class-1 Norfolk Southern.

History

The Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) was the final name of a railroad that ran from Norfolk, Virginia, southwest and west to Charlotte, North Carolina. It was acquired by the Southern Railway in 1974, which merged with the Norfolk & Western Railway in 1982 to form the current Norfolk Southern Railway.

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Norfolk Southern Railroad Norfolk Southern Railroad NS engine and Slug

Norfolk Southern Railroad

Item: 117-N     Price: $100.00

Remarks: ca. early-mid1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice stamp marks and gold patina.
Not to be confused with today's
Class-1 Norfolk Southern.

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Northeast Oklahoma Railroad Northeast Oklahoma Railroad Northeast Oklahoma Railroad depot

Northeast Oklahoma Railroad

Item: 119-N     Price: $145.00

Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Nice stamp marks and caramel patina.

History

Chartered in the early 1900s, the Northeast Oklahoma Railroad was a feeder line for the Frisco railroad. Lead and zinc mining ranks high among Oklahoma's historically significant extractive industries. Lead and zinc, found together, occur in various locations, including the Arbuckle Mountains near Davis and Ravia, the Wichita Mountains near Lawton, the Ouachita Mountains of northeastern McCurtain County, and in Ottawa County.

The NEO was formed from two separate entities. First part began as Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri Interurban Railway, which was incorporated September 26, 1908. Its name changed to Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri Railway May 8, 1917. Northeast Oklahoma Traction Co. of July 25, 1919, purchased it on December 1, 1919. Northeast Oklahoma Railroad Co. of December 28, 1929, purchased it December 29, 1929.

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Norfolk & Western Railway Norfolk & Western Railway N&W R.R. Flag

Norfolk & Western Railway

Item: 122-N     Price: $125.00 $115.00

Remarks: ca. post 1930
Forged by S. Slaymaker Co.
Nice serif stamp marks and chocolate patina.
Given the moniker, "King Coal."
This style of key will work the
N&W cast-brass switch locks
as well as 4 keys below.

History

The Norfolk & Western Railway (NW), was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its 150-year existence. Its motto was "Precision Transportation." It had a variety of nicknames, including "King Coal" and "British Railway of America" even though the N&W had mostly articulated steam on its roster. During the Civil War, the N&W was the biggest railroad in the south and moved most of the products with their steam locomotives to help the South the best way they could.

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Norfolk & Western Railway Norfolk & Western Railway N&W news magazine

Norfolk & Western Railway

Item: 123-N     Price: $125.00 $115.00

Remarks: ca. 1921-30
Fraim/Slaymaker forged.
Superb stamp marks and copper patina.
80 year + octogenarian!

History - continued from above

The N&W's earliest predecessor was the City Point Railroad (CPRR), a 9-mile (14 km) short-line railroad formed in 1838 to extend from City Point (now part of the independent city of Hopewell, Virginia), a port on the tidal James River, to Petersburg, Virginia, on the fall line of the shallower Appomattox River. In 1854, CPRR became part of the South Side Railroad, which connected Petersburg with Lynchburg, where it interchanged through traffic with the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad (V&T) and the James River and Kanawha Canal.

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Norfolk & Western Railway Norfolk & Western Railway N&W's steam turbine Jawn Henry

Norfolk & Western Railway

Item: 124-N    Price: $95.00 $85.00

Remarks: ca. 1904-21
Most likely Slaymaker forged.
Nice caramel patina.

History - continued from above

William Mahone (1826-95), an 1847 engineering graduate of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), was employed by Francis Mallory to build the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad (N&P) and eventually became its president in the pre-Civil War era. Construction of N&P began in 1853. Mahone's innovative corduroy roadbed through the Great Dismal Swamp near Norfolk, Virginia, employed a log foundation laid at right angles beneath the surface of the swamp. It is still in use 150 years later and it withstands immense tonnages of coal traffic.

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Norfolk & Western Railway Norfolk & Western Railway N&W loaded coal hoppers

Norfolk & Western Railway

Item: 125-N     Price: $125.00

Remarks: ca. 1904-21
Forged by the S.R. Slaymaker Co.
Superb stamp marks and patina.
100 year + centenarian!

History - continued from above

The N&P was severed by the war. The portion east of the Blackwater River at Zuni, Virginia, was held by the Union for most of the war. The eastern portion of the City Point Railroad played a crucial role for Union General Ulysses S. Grant during the Siege of Petersburg, and was operated by the United States Military Railroad. The South Side Railroad was also heavily damaged.

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Norfolk & Western Railway Norfolk & Western Railway N&W's Marshallign Yard    N&W locomotives

Norfolk & Western Railway

Item: 126-N     Price: $125.00

Remarks: ca. 1904-21
Forged by the S.R. Slaymaker Co
Superb stamp marks and patina.
Railway (RWY) abbreviation stamped the
old-fashion way. 100 year + centenarian!

History - continued from above

In 1881, the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad was reorganized and renamed Norfolk and Western, a name perhaps taken from an 1850s charter application filed by citizens of Norfolk, Virginia. George Frederick Tyler became president. Frederick J. Kimball, a civil engineer and partner in E.W. Clark & Co., became First Vice President.

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Norfolk & Western Railway Norfolk & Western Railway N&W bridge crew pose on Kenova Bridge     N&W bridge crew pose on Kenova Bridge    N&W bridge crew pose on Kenova Bridge

Norfolk & Western Railway

Item: 127-N     car key     Price: $95.00

Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Superb stamp marks and dark patina.
This style of key will work the
N&W cast-brass car locks

History - continued from above

Kimball served as N&W president from 1883 to 1895. Under his leadership, the N&W continued expansion westward with its lines through the wilderness of West Virginia with the Ohio Extension, eventually extending north across the Ohio River to Columbus, Ohio by the Scioto Valley Railroad.

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Norfolk & Western Railway Norfolk & Western Railway 1926 silent comedy film The General    1926 silent comedy film The General    Civil War rail cannon

Norfolk & Western Railway

Item: 128-N     W&LE-cut     Price: $45.00

Remarks: ca. mid 1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Leased to the NKP in 1949, and merged
into the N&W Railway in 1988.

History - continued from above

In 1890 the N&W bought out the Shenandoah Valley Railroad. This gave the railroad a reach north of the Potomac River and the Virginia-Maryland border, and a line with territory reaching as far north as Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This would become referred to as the Shenandoah Valley Division.

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Norfolk & Western Railroad Norfolk & Western Railroad N&W R.R. Flag

Norfolk & Western Railroad

Item: 129-N     W&LE-cut     Price: $65.00

Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Leased to the NKP in 1949, and merged
into the N&W Railway in 1988.

History - continued from above

In 1886, the N&W tracks were extended directly to coal piers at Lambert's Point, which was located in Norfolk County just north of the City of Norfolk on the Elizabeth River, where one of the busiest coal export facilities in the world was built to reach Hampton Roads shipping. A residential section was also developed to house the families of the workers. Many early residents of Lambert's Point were involved in the coal industry.

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Norfolk & Western Railroad Norfolk & Western Railroad N&W streamliner #611

Norfolk & Western Railroad

Item: 130-N     NKP-cut     Price: $55.00

Remarks: post N&W-NKP merger key    
Forged by the Adlake Co.

History - continued from above

As the availability and fame of high-quality Pocahontas bituminous coal increased, economic forces took over. Coal operators and their employees settled dozens of towns in southern West Virginia, and in the next few years, as coal demand swelled, some of them amassed fortunes. The countryside was soon sprinkled with tipples, coke ovens, houses for workers, company stores and churches. In the four decades before the Crash of 1929 and subsequent Depression, these coal towns flourished. One example was the small community of Bramwell, West Virginia, which in its heyday boasted the highest per capita concentration of millionaires in the country.

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Norfolk & Western Railroad Norfolk & Western Railroad N&W R.R. Flag    NKP R.R. Flag

Norfolk & Western Railroad

Item: 131-N     NKP-cut     Price: $55.00

Remarks: post 1964 N&W-NKP merger
Forged by the Adlake Co.

History - continued from above

The company was famous for building its own steam locomotives, a practice rare outside Britain (where most railways either built their own locomotives or had outside contractors build locomotives to their designs). The locomotives were built at the Roanoke Shops at Roanoke. The Shops employed thousands of craftsmen, who refined their products over the years. The A, J, and Y6 locomotives, designed, built and maintained by NW personnel, brought the company industry-wide fame for its excellence in steam power.

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Norfolk & Western Railroad Norfolk & Western Railroad N&W crew

Norfolk & Western Railroad

Item: 132-N     NKP-cut     Price: $55.00

Remarks: post 1964 N&W-NKP merger
Forged by the Adlake Co.

History - continued from above

In 1982, NW merged with the Southern Railway, another profitable carrier, to form the Norfolk Southern Corporation (NS), but it continued paper operations until it was merged into the Norfolk Southern Railway in 1997.

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Norfolk & Western Railroad Norfolk & Western Railroad N&W R.R. Flag

Norfolk & Western Railroad

Item: 133-N     NKP-cut     Price: $55.00

Remarks: post 1964 N&W-NKP merger
Forged by the Adlake Co.

History - continued from above

In 1982, NW merged with the Southern Railway, another profitable carrier, to form the Norfolk Southern Corporation (NS), but it continued paper operations until it was merged into the Norfolk Southern Railway in 1997.

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Norfolk & Western Railroad Norfolk & Western Railroad N&W R.R. Flag    Wabash R.R. Flag

Norfolk & Western Railroad

Item: 134-N     Wabash-cut     Price: $25.00

Remarks: Post 1964 N&W-Wabash merger key.
Forged by the Adlake Co.

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Norfolk & Western Railroad Norfolk & Western Railroad N&W's, Jawn Henry

Norfolk & Western Railroad

Item: 136-N     Wabash-cut     Price: $50.00 $40.00

Remarks: Post 1964 N&W-Wabash merger key.
Forged by the Adlake Co.

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Norfolk & Western Railroad Norfolk & Western Railroad N&W R.R. Flag    Wabash R.R. Flag

Norfolk & Western Railroad

Item: 137-N     Wabash-cut     Price: $50.00 $40.00

Remarks: Post 1964 N&W-Wabash merger key.
Forged by the Adlake Co.

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Norfolk & Western Railroad Signal Dept. Key Norfolk & Western Railroad Signal Dept. Key N&W R.R. Flag

Norfolk & Western Railroad

Item: 138-N    N&W signal lock key     Price: $18.00

Remarks: Key will work with this style.

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Northwestern Elevated Railroad Northwestern Elevated Railroad Car No.1029     A local NW L train     NWL operated until 1924

Northwestern Elevated Railroad

Item: 140-N     Price: $175.00

Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Superb serif stamp marks and patina.
Short and long barrel keys work the same.
100 year + centenarian!

History

The Northwestern Elevated Railroad was the last of the privately constructed rapid transit lines to be built in Chicago. The line ran from the Loop in downtown Chicago north to Wilson Avenue in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood with a branch to Ravenswood and Albany Park that left the main line at Clark Street. The line survives as the Brown and Purple lines and as the northern portions of the Red Line of the Chicago 'L' system.

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Northwestern Elevated Railroad Northwestern Elevated Railroad Map of railroad stations in Chicago

Northwestern Elevated Railroad

Item: 141-N     Price: $175.00

Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Superb serif stamp marks and patina.
Short and long barrel keys work the same.
100 year + centenarian!

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Switch Key Directory Switch Key Directory

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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D.S. Key & Lock Directory D.S. Key & Lock Directory

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 11/10/2024

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