Reading Co. Railroad
Item: 2-R Price: $55.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Slaymaker forged.
Elongated barrel, superb serif lettering and gold patina.
History
The Reading Company, usually called the Reading Railroad, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states. Until the decline in anthracite loadings in the Coal Region after World War II, it was one of the most prosperous corporations in the United States. Reduced coal traffic coupled with highway competition and short hauls forced it into bankruptcy in the 1970s. The railroad was merged into Conrail in 1976, but the corporation lasted into 2000, disposing of real estate holdings.
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Reading Co. Railroad
Item: 3-R Price: $40.00
Remarks: ca. early-mid 1900's. Slaymaker forged.
Elongated barrel. Superb block lettering and dark patina.
History - See 1-R
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Reading Co. Railroad
Item: 4-R Price: $45.00
Remarks: ca. early-mid 1900's. Slaymaker forged.
Elongated barrel, superb serif lettering and carmel patina.
History - See 1-R
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Reading Co. Railroad
Item: 5-R Price: $50.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Fraim forged.
Superb block lettering and dark patina.
"G" and "H" series keys listed below.
History - See 1-R
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Reading Co. Railroad
Item: 6-R Price: $50.00
Remarks: ca. early-mid 1900's. Elongated barrel.
Superb serif lettering and gold patina.
History - See 1-R
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Reading Co. Railroad
Item: 7-R Price: $45.00
Remarks: ca. early-mid 1900's. Elongated barrel.
Superb serif lettering and gold patina.
"G" and "F" series keys listed above.
History - See 1-R
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Raleigh & Gaston Railroad
Item: 8-R Price: $325.00
Remarks: ca. mid-late 1800's. North Carolina line.
Superb block lettering and gold patina.
History
The Raleigh & Gaston Railroad was a Raleigh, North Carolina-based railroad opened in April 1840 between Raleigh and the town of Gaston, North Carolina, on the Roanoke River.
It was North Carolina's second railroad (the Wilmington & Raleigh Railroad opened one month earlier). The length was 100 miles (160 km) and built with 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) gauge
The Raleigh & Gaston Railroad merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad in 1900, eventually becoming part of CSX Transportation.
The Raleigh & Gaston's tracks now make up part of CSX's - S Line; the Norlina Subdivision of CSX's Florence Division.
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River Terminal Railway
Item: 9-R Price: $55.00
Remarks: ca. early-mid 1900's. Serif lettering and nice carmel patina.
History
The River Terminal Railway Co., a class I "switching" or "Belt line," has been a vital link between Cuyahoga River Valley industries and the main-line railroads into Cleveland. The railway was incorporated in 1909 as a subsidiary of the Corrigan-McKinney Steel Co. to service 2 small blast furnaces on the west side of the Cuyahoga river. When Corrigan-McKinney became part of Republic Steel Corp. in 1935, the River Terminal Railway became a subsidiary of that company, with 1.5 mi. of main track connecting Republic's 2 open hearth blast furnaces on east side of the river. It continued to add sidings, locomotives, and freight cars to pick up iron ore from Republic's docks and move it to interchange points with other railroads, which then delivered it to plants in Warren and Youngstown. From these interchange points the railway would transport coal back to the mills. By 1972 it was moving 120 carloads of coal a day and 1.5 million tons of iron ore, as well as molten steel and finished products from one section of Republic's plant to another. The belt line also served chemical plants and other industries along the Cuyahoga River.
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River Terminal Railway
Item: 10-R Price: $55.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Nice block lettering and patina.
This Cleveland "Belt Line" was Chartered in 1909.
History - continued from above
In 1936 the River Terminal Railway purchased the first diesel locomotive in Cleveland, and by the late 1950s it had completed the switch from steam to diesel. In a dispute over safety regulations, 140 workers went on a weeklong strike over Republic's suspension of a conductor in 1944, forcing the total shutdown of Republic's mills, which employed 4,600 people. In 1983 the River Terminal Railway Co. became a subsidiary of the LTV Corp. as it remained in 1995, employing some 200 Clevelanders.
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Rochester Railway Signal Co. (RRS Co)
Item: 12-R Price: $100.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Superb block lettering.
Over the years, Mother Nature has produced a natural black patina.
A early supplier of railway signaling equipment and locks.
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Rutland Railroad
Item: 14-R Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. early-mid 1900's. Forged by the Adlake Co.
Superb block lettering and patina.
History
The Rutland Railroad (reporting mark RUT) was a railroad in the northeastern United States, located primarily in the state of Vermont but extending into the state of New York at both its northern-most and southern-most ends. The earliest ancestor of the Rutland, the Rutland & Burlington Railroad, was chartered in 1843 by the state of Vermont to build between Rutland and Burlington. A number of other railroads were formed in the region, and by 1867 the Rutland & Burlington Railroad had changed its name to simply the Rutland Railroad
The Rutland's primary freight traffic was derived from dairy products and to many Vermont natives the railroad is fondly remembered for the long trains of milk that used to move over the system. At its peak the Rutland served about a 400-mile system that roughly resembled an upside-down "L" running from Chatham, New York north to Alburgh, Vermont, (the railroad's northernmost terminus was Noyan, Quebec) and thence west to Ogdensburg, New York along the St. Lawrence River. Never a solid financial operation, the Rutland entered receivership for the first time in 1938. Cost cutting, including wage reduction, brought things around. A reorganization in 1950 changed the name from Rutland Railroad to Rutland Railway.
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Rutland Railroad
Item: 15-R Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Forged by the A&W Co.
Superb block lettering and dark patina. Oldie but goodie.
History - continued from above
After World War II the decline continued; many branches were closed down. In 1950 the company was reorganized as the Rutland Railway.
The year 1953 brought three weeks of employee strike action, which killed off the remaining passenger service on the line.
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Rutland Railroad
Item: 16-R Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Forged by the Adlake Co.
Superb block lettering and gold patina.
History - continued from above
In 1961 after further strikes the railroad apparently decided it was no longer viable and applied to the Interstate Commerce Commission for complete abandonment. This was approved, and the railroad closed down on May 20, 1963. The strike was brought on by the employees' unwillingness to accept changes that would have moved the center of operations from Rutland to Burlington, requiring them to relocate from Rutland to Burlington. A few years later the national unions agreed to nationwide job changes that allowed this type of change.
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S
Seaboard Airline Railroad
Item: 2-S Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Odd but nice!.
Attractive block lettering and gold patina.
Keys' crown likely added at the foundry, brass is all same color.
Good way to choose the right key on key ring in the dark!
History
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL), which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad whose corporate existence extended from April 14, 1900 until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. The company was headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, until 1958, when its main offices were relocated to Richmond, Virginia. The Seaboard Air Line Railway Building in Norfolk's historic Freemason District still stands and has been converted to luxury apartments.
In the days before air travel, air line was a common term for the shortest distance between two points: a straight line drawn through the air (or on a map), ignoring natural obstacles (i.e. "as the crow flies"). Hence, a number of 19th century railroads used air line in their titles to suggest that their routes were shorter than those of competing roads. The Seaboard never owned an airplane. In 1940 the railroad proposed the creation of "Seaboard Airlines" but this idea was struck down by the Interstate Commerce Commission as violating federal anti-trust legislation.
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Seaboard Coastline Railroad
Item: 4-S Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Forged by the Adlake Co.
Great block lettering and patina. Key not the standard
SCL switch key. Possible MofW or rip track key.
History
The Seaboard Coast Line emerged on July 1, 1967, following the merger of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. The combined system totaled 9,809 miles (15,786 km), the eighth largest in the United States at the time. The railroad had $1.2 billion in assets and revenue with a 54% market share of rail service in the Southeast, facing competition primarily from the Southern.
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Seaboard Coastline Railroad
Item: 5-S Price: $60.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice block lettering and patina.
History - continued from above
Prior to the creation of Amtrak on May 1, 1971, the Seaboard Coast Line provided passenger service over much of its system, including local passenger trains on some lines.
Local trains ended when the Amtrak era began. Although several named passenger trains survived through the Amtrak era, many were renamed or combined with other services.
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Seaboard Coastline Railroad
Item: 6-S Price: $60.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice block lettering and patina.
History - continued from above
The first expansion for the Seaboard Coast Line came in 1969 with the acquisition of the Piedmont & Northern Railway, which operated about 128 miles in North and South Carolina. Later the SCL would gain control of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad and the Durham & Southern Railway.
On November 1, 1980, CSX Corporation was created as a holding company for the Family Lines and Chessie System Railroad. In 1983 CSX combined the Family Lines System units as the Seaboard System Railroad and later became CSX Transportation when the former Chessie units merged with the Seaboard in December 1986.
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Salt Lake-Garfield & Western Railway
Item: 7-S Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Elongated barrel.
Superb block lettering and patina.
History
The Salt Lake-Garfield & Western Railway (SLGW), nicknamed through most of its history as The Saltair Route, is a short line railroad located in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Originally incorporated as a dual passenger and freight ailroad, it now provides freight-only railcar switching services to industries in Salt Lake City along its sixteen miles of track.
The SLG&W was incorporated on September 6, 1891 as the Saltair Railway, with the express purpose of tapping the tourist market visiting the Saltair Beach Resort on the shores of the Great Salt Lake. It was reorganized as the Salt Lake & Los Angeles Railroad in April 1892, and renamed soon after the Salt Lake-Garfield & Western Railway. The line carried passengers to Saltair and freight to the mining area of Garfield, Utah including Morton Salt located on the shores of the Great Salt Lake. On June 8, 1893, the Saltair Resort was officially opened. Saltair was founded and owned originally by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but was later transferred to the railroad under the ownership of the Snow Family, and the railroad was sold to the Hogle family in the early 1960's.
The first diesel on the line was purchased in 1951, and was a GE 44-tonner. In July 1954 a head-on collision caused the railroad to lease a GE centercab diesel from U.S. Steel, and this unfortunate incident marked the end of electric operations on the SLG&W. The SLG&W continues to haul freight to this day along its 16 miles of track with additional sidings for railcar storage, transloading, railcar cleaning and other rail-related services.
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Sand Springs Railway Co.
Item: 8-S Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Forged by the Eagle Lock Co.
32 mile Oakie short line. Superb block lettering and two-tone patina.
History
The Sand Springs Railway (SS) is a class III railroad operating in Oklahoma. It began in 1911 as an interurban railway providing passenger service between Tulsa and Sand Springs. It soon developed a freight hauling business between the two cities. Passenger service was discontinued January 5, 1955, but the railroad has continued to operate until the present. On May 28, 2014, it was announced that the railroad would be acquired by OmniTRAX, with operations commencing no later than July 31, 2014. It provides freight rail service between Sand Springs and Tulsa over a 32 mile route. The company primarily hauls steel, pulp, scrap iron, scrap paper, petroleum products, plastic, and lumber. It interchanges with the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway and the South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad.
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Sand Springs Railway
Item: 9-S Price: $100.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Forged by the Adlake Co.
Superb block lettering and gold patina.
History - continued from above
The Sand Springs Railway was founded by Charles Page and incorporated on February 6, 1911. It began service between Tulsa and Sand Springs on 8.6 miles of track that May. Passenger service was initially provided by two gasoline-engine rail cars, which were soon replaced by electric trolleys. The Tulsa passenger terminal was at the corner of Archer Street and Boston Avenue. Soon after the railroad line opened, it began to develop a freight hauling business, generated by various businesses emerged near the track between Sand Springs and Tulsa. The freight business was so profitable that in 1947 the railroad discontinued passenger service.
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San Pedro-Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad
Item: 10-S Price: $275.00
Remarks: ca. very early 1900's. Forged by the A&W Co.
Attractive block lettering and superb gold patina.
Key listed in the "American Railway's Switch Key Directory."
History
The San Pedro-Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad, the first direct route from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles when it was completed in 1905,
was perhaps the single most significant factor in the creation of what would become the city of Las Vegas, and later, Clark County.
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.
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Santa Fe Railroad
Item: 11-S Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. late 1800's. Forged by the A&W Co.
Elongated barrel. Superb block lettering and dark patina.
History
The Atchison-Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (ATSF), often abbreviated as Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. Chartered in February 1859, the railroad reached the Kansas-Colorado border in 1873 and Pueblo, Colorado, in 1876. To create a demand for its services, the railroad set up real estate offices and sold farm land from the land grants that it was awarded by Congress. Despite the name, its main line never served Santa Fe, New Mexico, as the terrain was too difficult; the town ultimately was reached by a branch line from Lamy.
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Santa Fe Route
Item: 12-S Price: $325.00
Remarks: ca. late 1800's. Forged by the Slaymaker/Barry Co.
Elongated barrel. Superb serif lettering and carmel patina.
A well preserved and great looking SF key!
History - continued from above
The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight service, an enterprise that (at one time or another) included a tugboat fleet and an airline (the short-lived Santa Fe Skyway).
Its bus line extended passenger transportation to areas not accessible by rail, and ferryboats on the San Francisco Bay allowed travelers to complete their westward journeys to the Pacific Ocean.
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Saratoga & Mount McGregor Railway
Item: 14-S Price: $245.00
Remarks: ca. late 1800's. Serial #80.
Superb serif lettering and patina. Attractive tapered ring barrel.
History
The Saratoga & Mount McGregor was built in 1882 as a narrow gauge steam railroad with hope of extending from Saratoga Springs to Lake George. The line only made it to Mount McGregor, a distance of 10 miles. A hotel Balmoral was built at the end of the line. This is the railroad that carried the body of President Ulysses S. Grant on his funeral train in 1885. Eventually this line would become electrified as the Saratoga & Northern Railway.
The Saratoga Northern Railway came into possession of the property of the former Saratoga & Mount McGregor Railway in June, 1898, by deed from E.A. Manice, who was trustee for the bondholders of that company. During the summer of 1898 the Saratoga Northern Railway operated a train over the line from Saratoga Springs to Wilton, charging no fare for passengers or freight and paying the expenses of such operation for the purpose of keeping the franchise alive.
In December 1897, the hotel at the top of the mountain burned. After foreclosure proceedings, the hotel and railroad property were sold in auction on
March 6, 1893. In 1913, a sanitorium was constructed. It went through different purposes until it became Mount McGregor Correctional Facility.
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Sioux City Terminal Railway Co.
Item: 15-S Price: $85.00
Remarks: ca. early-mid 1900's. Slaymaker forged.
Superb serif lettering and gold patina. A great looking key!
History
The carrier was incorporated July 2, 1907, under the general laws of the State of Iowa, for the stated purpose of acquiring and operating terminal railroad tracks in Woodbury County, Iowa. It was organized July 3, 1907. The company owns 1.306 miles of first main and 1.235 miles of second main tracks, together with 10.591 miles of yard tracks and sidings. Its road thus embraces 13.132 miles of all tracks wholly owned and used, exclusive of the land and grading, which are leased from the Sioux City Stock Yards Company. The carrier is an industrial carrier. It is controlled by the Sioux City Stock Yards Company, and performs a switching service between the packing-house industries and the connecting railroads.
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St. Johnsbury & Lamoille County Railroad
Item: 16-S Price: $345.00
Remarks: ca. late 1800's. The stamped "1" = bit number.
Tapered ring barrel. Superb serif lettering and patina.
Has the characteristics of a Slaymaker-Barry forged key.
History
The St. Johnsbury & Lamoille County Railroad (StJ&LC) was constructed in the 1870s as the Vermont Division of the Portland & Ogdensburg Railway to connect the Great Lakes with the seaport of Portland, Maine. The westerly connection with the Great Lakes was never made. The eastern end of the Vermont Division was leased to the Maine Central Railroad in 1912, and the remainder of the line became a subsidiary of the Boston & Maine Railroad. The Boston & Maine operated their segment as the St. Johnsbury & Lake Champlain Railroad after 1925. This segment was reorganized as the St. Johnsbury & Lamoille County Railroad in 1948.
The State of Vermont purchased the line from Samuel Pinsley in 1973. The line was then operated by Morrison-Knudsen as the Vermont Northern Railroad for a time. In 1978, local shippers took over the operation and it became the Lamoille Valley Railroad. In 1989, the line was leased to a Florida company and was operated by them until major flooding in 1995 and 1997 damaged the line so much that it was not profitable to repair the track. In 2002, the state of Vermont started converting the 96 mile route into a recreational trail and created the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail.
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Seattle-Renton & Southern Railway
Item: 17-S Price: $245.00
Remarks: ca. late 1800's-early 1900's. Seattle interurban.
Attractive ring tapered barrel. Superb serif lettering and patina.
Over 100 years young and a real beauty!
History
The Seattle-Renton & Southern built King County's first true interurban railroad beginning in 1891, and spurred development of the then largely agricultural Rainier Valley. The line was begun by J. K. Edmiston and extended by W. J. Grambs, Frank Osgood (1852-1934), and W. R. Crawford. In 1912, its name was changed to the Seattle & Rainier Valley Railway. The line suffered from safety problems, lack of capital, and lax management. The City of Seattle attempted to buy it in 1914 and finally (in 1936) revoked its franchise. The last Renton inturban finished its run early on the morning of January 1, 1937. The rails were removed and paved over to widen Rainier Avenue S.
Ironically, hopes that the rail line would one day be extended farther south, perhaps to Puyallup, were never realized. This idea was the "southern" part of Seattle-Renton & Southern Railway.
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Savannah & Atlantic Railway
Item: 18-S Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Forged by the Adlake Co.
Ex-fine pocket wear and great carmel patina.
"RY" stamp initials very pocket worn. A rarity!
Key is listed in the "American Railway's Switch Key Directory."
History
Popularly referred to as the "Tybee Branch" or "Tybee Railroad," the 18-mile Savannah & Tybee Railroad, completed in 1887, entered receivership in November 1888 and was sold in December 1889. It was reorganized as the Savannah-Tybee & Atlantic Railway in March 1890. A few months later it was acquired by the Central of Georgia and renamed the Savannah & Atlantic Railroad. The line was abandoned and the rails taken up in 1933.
The capital stock of this railroad was acquired in 1890 by the Central Rail Road and Banking Company. Only one instance of interrupted service is
recorded for the line, built on marsh and water. This interruption occurred in 1893, when the tracks on McQueens Island were washed away by storm.
Featuring one of the lowest fares in the country, one cent per mile, the Tybee Branch was one of the most popular railroads in the country. Excursions to Tybee were an integral part of the social life of Savannah and Central employees. The advent of the automobile and the building of the road to Tybee spelled doom for the little railroad, however, and the last excursion was July 31, 1933, when locomotive No. 329 carried eight coaches filled with members of the Central of Georgia Railway Clerks Organization.
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Seaboard & Roanoke Railroad Co.
Item: 19-S Price: $325.00
Remarks: ca. late 1800's. Forged by the A&W Co.
Superb block lettering and patina. "INT" = organized
in 1833 as the Union Camp Corp., which was bought by
International Paper. A rare 1!
History
The Seaboard & Roanoke Railroad was organized in 1833 (as the Portsmouth & Roanoke Railroad) to extend from the area of the rapids of the
Roanoke River at its fall line near Weldon, North Carolina to Portsmouth, Virginia, across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk on the harbor of Hampton Roads.
The Seaboard & Roanoke was the first railroad to reach the Norfolk area, which eventually became a busy point for many railroads. However, it was to be more than 20 years before the Norfolk & Petersburg Railroad, a predecessor of the Norfolk & Western Railway built by William Mahone, was completed. Through several financial reorganizations, and refinancing by the Virginia Board of Public Works in 1838, it was variously known as the Portsmouth & Roanoke Railroad and the Seaboard & Roanoke Railroad.
In the 1880s, the Seaboard & Roanoke became part of the Seaboard Air Line Railway system, which was
extended through Petersburg to reach Richmond to the north and covered the southeastern states to reach Florida.
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South Buffalo Railroad
Item: 20-S Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Fraim forged?
Superb serif lettering and patina.
History
The South Buffalo Railway operates more than fifty miles of railway lines along the southeast shore of Lake Erie.
South Buffalo connects to CSX, Norfolk Southern, Canadian Pacific, and Canadian National Railway.
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South Georgia Railway
Item: 21-S Price: $70.00
Remarks: SG chartered in 1897. Ex-fine pocket wear.
Attractive block lettering and superb gold patina.
In 1971 the SG merged with the Live Oak-Perry & Gulf R.R.
History
Incorporated in 1896, the South Georgia Railroad opened its 28-mile railroad between Heartpine and Quitman in March of 1897.
A 23-mile extension from Quitman to Greenville, Florida, opened in October of 1901.
In 1902 the South Georgia leased the West Coast Railway of Florida which was chartered to build a line from Greenville to Perry, Florida. The combined railroads' name was changed to South Georgia & West Coast Railway. Soon afterwards this name was dropped in a reorganization and the railroad was officially renamed the South Georgia Railway. Nevertheless, the South Georgia & West Coast name continued to be used on the company's equipment for years.
In 1971 the South Georgia merged with the Live Oak-Perry & Gulf Railroad to form the
Live Oak-Perry & South Georgia Railway, running from Adel to Perry. It was owned and operated by Southern Railway.
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Southern Railway
Item: 22-S Price: $65.00
Remarks: ca. early-mid 1900's. Nice pocket wear.
Superb block lettering and patina.
History
The Southern Railway (SOU) was a US class 1 railroad that was based in the Southern United States. It was the product of nearly 150
predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894.
It was placed under control of the Norfolk Southern Corporation, along with its rival the Norfolk & Western Railway (N&W), in 1982. The Norfolk Southern Corporation was created in response to the creation of the CSX Corporation (its rail system was later transformed to CSX Transportation in 1986). The Southern Railway was renamed Norfolk Southern Railway in 1990 and continued under that name ever since. Seven years later in 1997 the railroad, now under the name "Norfolk Southern Railway," absorbed the Norfolk & Western Railway ending the Norfolk & Western's existence (the N&W continued to exist as a subsidiary until 1997.
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Southern Railway
Item: 23-S Price: $65.00
Remarks: ca. early-mid 1900's. Fine pocket wear.
Superb block lettering and patina.
History - continued from above
The pioneering South Carolina Canal & Rail Road Company, Southern's earliest predecessor line and one of the first railroads in the United States, was chartered in December 1827 and ran the nation's first regularly scheduled steam-powered passenger train - the wood-burning Best Friend of Charleston - over a six-mile section out of Charleston, South Carolina, on December 25, 1830. (The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad ran regular passenger service earlier that year.) By 1833, its 136-mile line to Hamburg, South Carolina, was the longest in the world.
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Southern Railway
Item: 24-S eastern system Price: $85.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Forged by the A&W Co.
Superb block lettering and dark two-tone patina.
History - continued from above
Southern and its predecessors were responsible for many firsts in the industry. Starting in 1833, its predecessor, the South Carolina Canal & Railroad, was the first to carry passengers, U.S. troops and mail on steam-powered trains and it was the first to operate at night. On June 17, 1953, the railroad's last steam-powered freight train arrived in Chattanooga, Tennessee, behind 2-8-2 locomotive No. 6330. From dieselization and shop and yard modernization, to computers and the development of special cars, the unit coal train and Radio Controlled mid-train helper locomotives, Southern often was on the cutting edge of change, earning the company its catch phrase, "Southern Gives a Green Light to Innovation."
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Southern Railway
Item: 25-S signal key Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Forged by the Adlake Co.
Superb block lettering and gold patina.
History - continued from above
Known as the "First Railroad War," the Civil War left the South's railroads and economy devastated. Most of the railroads, however, were repaired, reorganized and operated again. In the area along the Ohio River and Mississippi River, construction of new railroads continued throughout Reconstruction. The Richmond and Danville System expanded throughout the South during this period, but was overextended, and came upon financial troubles in 1893, when control was lost to financier J.P. Morgan, who reorganized it into the Southern Railway System.
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Southern Railway
SOLD signal key Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Early signal key.
Superb block lettering and copper patina.
History - See 22-S
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South Omaha Terminal Railway Co.
Item: 27-S Price: $110.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Forged by the Adlake Co.
Excellent serif lettering and gold patina.
116yr. old Stockyard institution closed in 1999.
History
The South Omaha Terminal Railway, a subsidiary of the Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha, was a spur line established to serve the Omaha stockyards, which opened in the 1880s. It was transformed into the South Omaha Terminal Railway in the 1920s. Because of the Stockyards, by the 1880s Omaha was served by every major railroad in the country. Other railroads in the city included the Omaha Road, Omaha, Lincoln and Beatrice Railway, Omaha Southern Railroad, Kansas, Nebraska and Omaha Railway, Omaha and Republican Valley Railway, Omaha and South Western Railroad and Omaha, Abilene and Wichita Railway.
The South Omaha Terminal Railway in Omaha, Nebraska was a subsidiary of the Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha. Until the separate railroad company was created in July 1927, the trackage, about 17 miles (27 km), was owned and operated directly by the Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha. On April 4, 1978, an Interstate Commerce Commission emergency service order was issued at which time the Brandon Corporation took over service.
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Soo Line Railroad
Item: 28-S Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Slaymaker forged.
Superb serif lettering and dark patina.
History
The Minneapolis-St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (reporting mark SOO) was a Class I railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the Midwest United States. Commonly known as the Soo Line after the phonetic spelling of Sault, it was merged with several other major CP subsidiaries on January 1, 1961 to form the Soo Line Railroad. As time passes, more and more Soo Line equipment is being repainted into the Canadian Pacific's current paint scheme, slowly erasing the Soo's identity as a subsidiary railroad.
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Soo Line Railroad
Item: 29-S Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Forged by the Slaymaker Co.
Excellent serif lettering and superb gold patina.
History
The Minneapolis-St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (reporting mark SOO) was a Class I railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the Midwest United States. Commonly known as the Soo Line after the phonetic spelling of Sault, it was merged with several other major CP subsidiaries on January 1, 1961 to form the Soo Line Railroad. As time passes, more and more Soo Line equipment is being repainted into the Canadian Pacific's current paint scheme, slowly erasing the Soo's identity as a subsidiary railroad.
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Soo Line Railroad
Item: 30-S Price: $55.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Slaymaker forged.
Large block lettering and superb patina.
History - See 28-S
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Soo Line Railroad
Item: 31-S Price: $50.00
Remarks: ca. late 1900's. Keyline forged.
Superb block lettering and gold patina.
History - See 28-S
Click on image to view larger picture
South Pacific Coast Railroad
Item: 33-S Price: $275.00
Remarks: ca. late 1800's-early 1900's. Forged by the Adlake Co.
Superb block lettering and patina.
A rail line doomed by landslides, earthquakes (SF) and war.
History
The South Pacific Coast Railroad (SPC) was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge steam railroad running between Santa Cruz, California and Alameda, with a ferry connection in Alameda to San Francisco. The railroad was created as the Santa Clara Valley Railroad, founded by local strawberry growers as a way to get their crops to market in San Francisco and provide an alternative to the Southern Pacific Railroad. In 1876, James Graham Fair, a Comstock Lode silver baron, bought the line and extended it into the Santa Cruz Mountains to capture the significant lumber traffic coming out of the redwood forests. The line was originally laid with 52-pound rail on 8-foot (2.4 m) redwood ties; and was later acquired by the Southern Pacific and converted to standard gauge.
The line through the Santa Cruz Mountains suffered major damage including a lateral slip of 5 feet (1.5 m) in the tunnel where it crossed the San Andreas fault. The bridge across San Leandro Bay was damaged and abandoned. Conversion to standard gauge was completed in 1909. 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge locomotives numbered 9, 23, and 26 were eventually acquired by the Ilwaco Railway & Navigation Company. Other SPC 3 ft (914 mm) gauge equipment was sold to the Carson & Colorado Railway, the White Pass & Yukon Route, the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad, the Pacific Coast Railway, the Lake Tahoe Railway & Transportation Company, and the Northwestern Pacific Railroad.
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Southern Pacific (Company) Railroad
Item: 35-S CS-4 (switch) Price: $115.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Forged by the A&W Co.
Superb stamp lettering and patina. A handsome SP oldie!
History
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company (SP), earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually called the Southern Pacific or (from the railroad's initials) Espee, was an American Class I railroad. It was absorbed in 1988 by the company that controlled the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad and eight years later became part of the Union Pacific Railroad.
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Southern Pacific (Company) Railroad
Item: 36-S CS-4 (switch) Price: $115.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Forged by the A&W Co.
Superb stamp lettering and patina.
Another handsome SP oldie!
History - continued from above
The railroad was founded as a land holding company in 1865, later acquiring the Central Pacific Railroad by lease. By 1900 the Southern Pacific Company was a major railroad system incorporating many smaller companies, such as the Texas & New Orleans Railroad and Morgan's Louisiana & Texas Railroad. It extended from New Orleans through Texas to El Paso, across New Mexico and through Tucson, to Los Angeles, through most of California, including San Francisco and Sacramento. Central Pacific lines extended east across Nevada to Ogden, Utah, and reached north through Oregon to Portland. Other subsidiaries eventually included the St. Louis Southwestern Railway (Cotton Belt), the Northwestern Pacific Railroad at 328 miles, the 1,331 miles Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico, and a variety of 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge routes.
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Southern Pacific Lines
Item: 37-S CS-4 (switch) Price: $100.00
Remarks: ca. early-mid 1900's. Forged by the A&W Co.
Superb block lettering and patina. Nice early SP key!
History - continued from above
Following some discussion around the details of the merger, it was decided that the Southern Pacific name would be put up for sale. Four years later, on October 13, 1988, the Southern Pacific Railroad was acquired by Rio Grande Industries. After taking control of the Southern Pacific and a long debate of what to do with it, it was decided that they would maintain the name Southern Pacific for the railroad operations. Even though Rio Grande Industries held good intentions for the Southern Pacific, it was taken over by the Union Pacific Railroad because of Rio Grande's financial difficulties.
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Southern Pacific Railroad
Item: 38-S CS-4 (switch) Price: $55.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Forged by the Adlake Co.
Superb block lettering and gold patina. Key has a unique
style bit, no top notch. Only SP key I've seen with this bit style.
Bit style identical to a SP&S key.
History - continued from above
In 1984, the Santa Fe Railroad merged with Southern Pacific (along with many smaller rail lines) to form the Santa Fe Southern Pacific Corporation. However, the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) took exception to the merger conditions. Instead, the company was ordered to make some changes, one of which resulted in the shortened name of Santa Fe Pacific Corporation.
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Southern Pacific (Company) Railroad
Item: 39-S CS-4 (switch) Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. A shorty!
Superb serif lettering. Hardened aluminum key.
History - See 35-S
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Southern Pacific (Company) Railroad
Item: 40-S CS-24 (road & bridge) Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Forged by the A&W Co.
Attractive block lettering and carmel patina. Nice R&B oldie!
History - See 35-S
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Southern Pacific (Company) Railroad
Item: 41-S CS-24 (road & bridge) Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Forged by the A&W Co.
Superb block lettering and patina. Nice R&B oldie!
Unique "C" stamp.
History - See 35-S
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Southern Pacific (Company) Railroad
Item: 42-S CS-44 (MofW-special) Price: $45.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Forged by the Adlake Co.
Block lettering and nice gold patina.
History - See 35-S
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Southern Pacific (Company) Railroad
Item: 43-S CS-44 (MofW-special) Price: $45.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Forged by the A&W Co.
Attractive block lettering and gold patina. Pocket worn #44.
History - See 35-S
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Southern Pacific (Company) Railroad
Item: 44-S CS-45 (switch) Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Slaymaker forged.
Superb block lettering and patina. Elongated barrel.
Refreshing rarity-Slaymaker SP key.
History - See 35-S
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Southern Pacific (Company) Railroad
Item: 45-S CS-47 (rip track) Price: $85.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Forged by the Adlake Co.
Superb block lettering and patina.
History - See 35-S
Click on image to view larger picture
Sodus Point & Southern Railroad
Item: 47-S Price: $425.00
Remarks: Chartered in 1852. Coal hauling line.
Superb serif lettering and patina.
Absorbed into the Pennsy. A rare 1!
History
Reorganized in 1875 with the Geneva-Hornellsville & Pine Creek Railroad. In 1882 became the Sodus Bay & Southern Railroad. In 1884 the
Northern Central Railroad bought the Sodus Point & Southern Railroad, creating a land-water shipping route from Pennsylvania to Canada.
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South & Western Railroad
Item: 49-S Price: $625.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Nice tapered barrel.
Superb block lettering and patina. A very rare key.
Original name for Clinchfield Railroad.
History
The Jan. 30, 1908 Comet newspaper proclaimed in bold letters: "New Railroad Will Be Great." A subtitle further stated "South And Western To Be The Best Built, Means Much In The Development of East Tennessee." This early railroad would later be labeled the Carolina-Clinchfield & Ohio Railroad (CC&O), eventually becoming known simply as the Clinchfield.
In early 1905, a small group of capitalists purchased 800,000 acres of coal land in Wise, Dickinson and Buchanan counties, Virginia and formed the Clinchfield Coal Corporation. These investors also acquired control of the property of the defunct Charleston, Cincinnati and Chicago (3Cs) Railroad. Backers included some of the richest men in the country, including George L. Carter, president, and M.J. Caples, general manager.
The rail system, to be named the South and Western Railroad, was to operate from Elkhart City, KY to Spartanburg, SC, a distance of 284 miles. At Elkhorn City, it was to connect with the Big Sandy branch of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, providing an outlet for the mines to the northwest. Allegedly, Carter did not want Southern Railway management to know the precise route of the new venture across the Blue Ridge Mountains. Consequently, he chose the generic name "South & Western" rather than listing city or regional names, as was the customary way to identify them.
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South Side Elevated Railway
Item: 50-S car key Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Forged by the A&W Co.
Superb block lettering and carmel patina. This key
stamped "RY" & SSE key below stamped "R.R." = nice set.
Predecessor to the CTA. A Chicago "oldie but goodie."
History
The South Side Elevated Railroad (originally Chicago & South Side Rapid Transit Railroad) was the first elevated rapid transit line in Chicago, Illinois. The line ran from downtown Chicago to Jackson Park, with branches to Englewood, Normal Park, Kenwood, and the Union Stock Yards. The first 3.6 miles of the line opened on June 6, 1892, and much of its route is still used today as part of the Chicago 'L' system.
The Chicago & South Side Rapid Transit Railroad Company was incorporated on January 4, 1888 and secured a franchise from the City of Chicago on March 26 of that year to construct an elevated railroad between Van Buren Street and 39th Street (Pershing Road). The franchise required the company to build along a right of way immediately adjacent and parallel to one of the alleys from Van Buren Street to 37th Street, rapidly earning the line the nickname of the "Alley L". On April 2, 1892 the city authorized the extension of the line as far south as 71st street, and a further extension along 63rd Street was passed on April 7, 1893, the total cost of construction was estimated at $6,750,000.
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South Side Elevated Railway
Item: 51-S car key Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Forged by the A&W Co.
Superb block lettering and copper/gold patina. This key
stamped "R.R." & SSE key above stamped "RY" = nice set.
Predecessor to the CTA.
History - continued from above
The South Side Elevated railroad provided 24 hour service, a major advantage when compared to Chicago's cable railroads which required daily overnight shutdown for cable maintenance.
After midnight, two trains ran on the line, providing service every 20 minutes; in contrast, rush-hour service required 18 trains to maintain a schedule with a 3-minute headway.
When the World's Columbian Exposition closed, lack of development along the southern portion of the route led to plummeting passenger numbers. The Chicago & South Side Rapid Transit Railroad Company went into receivership in 1895 and was sold under foreclosure on September 16, 1896 for $4,100,100. The South Side Elevated Railroad was formed to take over the route in 1897. Service was extended into the newly built Union Loop on October 18, 1897 connecting the South Side Elevated Railroad with the Lake Street Elevated Railroad, the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad, and (after 1900) the Northwestern Elevated Railroad. These other companies used third rail electrification to power their trains; so the South Side Elevated Railroad enlisted Frank Julian Sprague to convert its rolling stock to electrical power. Sprague used his previously untested system of multiple-unit train control (MU) whereby multiple self-powered cars could be linked together and controlled by a single person, making the South Side Elevated Railroad the first in the world to use MU operation.
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Spokane-Portland & Seattle Railroad
Item: 52-S Price: $65.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice block lettering and superb patina.
History
The Spokane-Portland & Seattle Railway (SP&S) was a United States-based railroad incorporated in 1905. It was a joint venture by the Great Northern Railway
and the Northern Pacific Railway to build a railroad along the north bank of the Columbia River. Remnants of the line are currently operated by BNSF Railway.
The railroad was chartered in 1905 by James J. Hill to connect the two transcontinental railroads owned by him, the Northern Pacific (NP) and Great Northern (GN), to Portland, Oregon from Spokane, Washington, to gain a portion of the lumber trade in Oregon, a business then dominated by E.H. Harriman's Union Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads. In January 1908 "Spokane" was added to the railroad's name, making it the Spokane-Portland & Seattle Railway.
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Spokane-Portland & Seattle Railroad
Item: 53-S Price: $50.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice block lettering and gold patina.
History - continued from above
During World War II the SP&S carried war materials to the Pacific Theatre; new industries located along the Columbia River, taking advantage of cheap
electricity from hydroelectric dams on the river. New industries served by the SP&S included aluminum plants, sawmills, chemical factories and grain elevators.
In 1954 an SP&S train derailed after hitting a rockslide on the route to Bend, Oregon. Part of the train landed in the Deschutes River,
including a boxcar, which landed in a rapid that was later named "Boxcar Rapids" after the incident, which killed all crew members.
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Stony Creek Railroad
Item: 54-S Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. late 1800's-early 1900's. Once operated by the P&R.
Superb serif lettering and patina. Passenger station was located
at Markley and Main streets. Another rare beauty!
History
Information taken from Google Books dated 1901: The Stony Creek Railroad extended from Norristown to the borough of Lansdale, where it connected with the North Pennsylvania Railroad. At Norristown, by means of the Junction road, it connected with the Philadelphia-Germantown & Norristown Railroad, thus forming a continupus line from Philadelphia to Lansdale. All the roads mentioned were once operated by the Philadelphia & Reading Railway Company. A facility for turning the engines was erected on the land of the Stony Creek Railroad Company. The turntable had been in use for upward of thirty years. The news document then stated, the Stony Creek Railroad petioned the state to build a track commencing at a point on their line opposite their turntable to connect with the siding of the Adam Scheidt Brewing Company.
The Stony Creek Railroad ran from Norristown to Lansdale (still used for freight). The primary attraction of this line was service to Merck, which lies right on it; with a busier Bethlehem Branch beyond Lansdale, it would also function as an express cutoff avoiding traffic snarls downstream (particularly in the busy two-track section between Jenkintown and Wayne Jct.).
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Strouds Creek & Muddlety Railroad
Item: 55-S Price: $125.00
Remarks: West Virginia short line chartered in 1905.
Superb serif lettering and patina.
History
Located in southeastern West Virginia, the SC&M was incorporated on June 14, 1904, under general laws of West Virginia, for the purpose of building a railroad from Allingdale, in a general northwesterly direction, to Delphi, a distance of 8.437 miles. The carrier also owned 2.474 miles of yard tracks and sidings. Its road thus once embraced 10.911 miles of all tracks owned and used. In addition to its owned property, the carrier leased from The Birch Valley Lumber Company certain shop buildings located at Tioga, W. Va., one motor car and all of its equipment. The SC&M granted trackage rights to The Birch Valley Lumber Company for the operation of log trains between Tioga and Delphi, W. Va., a distance of about 2 miles. The SC&M once shared jointly with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company the latter's station facilities at Allingdale, W. Va. An industrial railroad, it was controlled by the Tioga Lumber Company. The road principally served as an outlet for the timber of The Birch Valley Lumber Company, a corporation which purchased the timber property formerly owned by the Tioga Lumber Company. Most if not all of the line was abandoned in the late 1900's.
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Steubenville East Liverpool & Beaver Valley Railroad
Item: 56-S Price: $75.00
Remarks: Ohio Interurban operated from 1917-1939.
Forged by the Adlake Co.
"L" is pocket worn and barely visible.
Attractive gold patina.
History
The East Liverpool & Beaver Valley Traction Co. was incorporated in Ohio and Pennsylvania on Nov. 1, 1917, as a merger of the East Liverpool Traction & Light Co., the Steubenville & East Liverpool Railway & Light Co., and the Ohio River Passenger Railway. It owns and operates 58.46 miles of track between Vauport, Pa., and Steubenville, Ohio, and in Steubenville, East Liverpool and Wellsville, Ohio., and Chester, West Virginia. The line also operates in intervening towns and operates a through line between Steubenville and Beaver, Pa.
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Strasburg Railroad
Item: 57-S Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Slaymaker forged.
Elongated barrel. Superb serif lettering and great patina.
History
The Strasburg Rail Road is the oldest continuously operating railroad in the western hemisphere and the oldest public utility in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Chartered in 1832, the Strasburg Rail Road continues to operate under its original charter and original name (Strasburg Rail Road Company). Located just outside of the town of Strasburg, Pennsylvania, the railroad is a heritage railroad offering excursion trains, hauled by steam locomotives, through the heart of world-famous Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Strasburg currently has four (4) serviceable historic steam locomotives (Canadian National 7312, Canadian National 89, Great Western 90, N&W 475) on its roster and has the nation's largest fleet of historic wooden passenger coaches in operation.
Strasburg Rail Road is a shortline railroad whose construction in the 19th century was intended to connect the town of Strasburg with the main line. Today, the original 4 1/2 mile line carries passengers on a 45-minute round-trip journey from Strasburg to Leaman Place Junction through nearly 1,000 acres in south-eastern Lancaster County.
In addition to the excursion train rides, Strasburg Rail Road mechanical and car shops conduct contract work for a wide variety of public and private clients including fellow steam railroads, train museums, attractions, and more. Strasburg Rail Road's freight department facilitates the carrying of goods to and from the main line for a number of local and regional clients. In 2016, it was announced that they are to expand their shop an extra 12,000 square feet due to the increase of jobs from other railroads.
The Strasburg Rail Road is also one of the few railroads in the United States to occasionally use steam locomotives to haul revenue freight trains.
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St. Joseph & Grand Island Railroad
SOLD Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Forged by the A&W Co.
Attractive block lettering and fine pocket wear.
Distinctive UP style cut.
History
In 1879 construction of tracks connecting the Union Pacific's main line at Grand Island with the St. Joseph & Western Railroad at Hastings provided a key link in a railroad empire controlled by New York financier, Jay Gould. The link freed the Union Pacific from the competition of connecting lines at its eastern terminus in Omaha by providing a route bypassing Iowa. Like other railroads built throughout Nebraska in the 1880s, the St. Joe contributed to local settlement and development. In 1879 local pioneer William J. Burger platted the town of Doniphan midway between Grand Island and Hastings. The village and township were named after Col. John Doniphan of St. Joseph, Missouri, an attorney for the railroad.
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St. Joseph & Grand Island Railroad
Item: 59-S Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Forged by the A&W Co.
Attractive block lettering and fine pocket wear.
Distinctive UP R&B style cut.
History - continued from above
After completion of the Grand Island line, the railroad was reorganized as the St. Joseph & Grand Island Railroad and for most of its history was part of the Union Pacific system.
Construction of a Hastings to Gibbon cutoff in 1914 provided a shorter route to the Union Pacific main line, and use of the line through Doniphan gradually declined. It was abandoned in 1989.
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St. Louis & Southwestern Railroad
Item: 62-S Price: $65.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Elongated barrel.
Superb serif lettering and gold patina.
Given the moniker, "The Cotton Belt."
History
The Cotton Belt was one of the lines comprising the railroad empire acquired by financier Jay Gould in the last quarter of the 19th century; according to the Handbook of Texas, "By 1890 Gould owned the Missouri Pacific, the Texas and Pacific, the St. Louis Southwestern, and the International-Great Northern, one-half of the mileage in the Southwest.
The railroad was organized on January 15, 1891, although it had its origins in a series of short lines founded in Tyler, Texas, in 1870 that
connected northeastern Texas to Arkansas and southeastern Missouri. Construction of the original Tyler Tap Railroad began in the summer of 1875.
The Southern Pacific Company gained Interstate Commerce Commission approval to control the Cotton Belt system on April 14, 1932, but continued to operate it as a separate company until 1992, when the SP consolidated the Cotton Belt's operations into the parent company. Cotton Belt diesel locomotives from 1959 on were painted in Southern Pacific's "bloody nose" scheme - dark gray locomotive body with a red "winged" nose. "Cotton Belt" was painted on the sides and in later years the letters "SSW" were painted on the nose.
In 1996 the Union Pacific Railroad finished the acquisition that was effectively begun almost a century before with the purchase of the
Southern Pacific by UP in 1901, until divestiture was ordered in 1913. The merged company retains the name "Union Pacific" for all railroad operations.
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St. Louis & O'Fallon Railway
Item: 63-S Price: $100.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Nine mile Illinois short line.
Block lettering and rustic gold patina.
History
St. Louis & O"Fallon, a short line built at the suggestion of the city of St. Louis to provide an additional outlet for freight. The StL&O'F right of way paralleled the present Metrolink eastern extension at St. Clair Avenue. The carrier was incorporated June 1, 1896, under the general laws of Illinois. The owned main line extends eastwardly from East St. Louis to O'Fallon Mine No. 2, a distance of 8.939 miles. The carrier also owns and uses 11.131 miles of yard tracks and sidings. Its road thus embraces 20.070 miles of all tracks owned.
John O'Fallon (1791-December 17, 1865) was a businessman, philanthropist, and military officer. During the 19th century he rose to become the wealthiest person in St. Louis, Missouri. He is the namesake of O'Fallon, Illinois, (incorporated in 1874) as well as O'Fallon, Missouri and the nephew of William Clark.
In 1857, he donated over $1 million to establish the O'Fallon Institute at what is now Washington University in St. Louis. O'Fallon's father, James O'Fallon, was a physician who served as a surgeon in Washington's army during the Revolutionary War. After the war he went to Louisville, Kentucky, married Frances Clark, a sister of George Rogers Clark and William Clark, Army officers, who became famous in exploring the Mississippi Valley.
He was especially active in railroad-building. O'Fallon presided over the 1849 committee which formed the Pacific Railroad (now Missouri Pacific Railroad); was the first president of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad (now Baltimore and Ohio Railroad) and in 1850 became president of and the North Missouri Railroad (now the Wabash Railroad).
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St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad
Item: 64-S Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Forged by the A&W Co.
Attractive pocket worn block lettering and superb gold patina.
Unique style key, no notch on top of bit like Frisco key below.
This key stamped "R.R." and key below stamped "RY" = nice set.
History
The "St. Louis & San Francisco Railway," aka Frisco, was a railroad that operated in the Midwest and South Central U.S. from 1876 to April 17, 1980. Incorporated in Missouri on September 7, 1876. It was formed from the Missouri Division and Central Division of the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad. The Acheson-Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, interested in the A & P right of way across the Mojave Desert to California, took the road over until the larger road went bankrupt in 1893; the receivers retained the western right of way but divested the ATSF of the St. Louis-San Francisco mileage on the great plains. The St. Louis-San Francisco Railway had two main lines: St. Louis-Tulsa-Oklahoma City and Kansas City-Memphis-Birmingham. The junction of the two lines was in Springfield, Missouri, home to the company's main shop facility and headquarters.
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St. Louis-San Francisco Railway
Item: 65-S Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900's. Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice pocket worn block lettering and superb gold patina.
This key stamped "RY" and key above stamped "R.R." = nice set.
History - continued from above
The city of Frisco,Texas was named after the railroad and uses the former railroad's logo as its own logo. The logo is modeled after a stretched-out raccoon skin (giving rise to Frisco High School's mascot, the Fighting Raccoons). From March, 1917, through January, 1959, Frisco, in a joint venture with the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, operated the Texas Special. This luxurious train, a streamliner from 1947, ran from St. Louis to Dallas,Texas, Ft. Worth, Texas and San Antonio, Texas. While the Texas Special was the most famous passenger train Frisco ever operated, it also rostered an entire fleet of (11) named trains. Due to the harsh economic conditions of that era, the Frisco merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad on November 21, 1980.
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St. Louis-San Francisco Railway
Item: 66-S Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Forged by the A&W Co.
Superb block lettering and gold patina.
History - See 64-S
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St. Louis-San Francisco Railway
Item: 67-S Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900's. Forged by the A&W Co.
Superb block lettering and dark patina. A nice 1!
History - See 64-S
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Sunbury Hazleton & Wilkesbarre Railway
Item: 68-S Price: $215.00
Remarks: ca. late 1800's. Pennsylvania coal hauler.
Attractive ring tapered barrel. Superb serif lettering and patina.
139 years young!
History
The Danville-Hazleton & Wilkes-Barre Railroad began in April 1859 as the Wilkes-Barre & Pittston Railroad. Their plan was to build a railroad along the east side of the Susquehanna River from above Pittston to Danville or Sunbury. It was renamed the Danville-Hazleton & Wilkes-Barre Railroad in 1867. Railroad construction began in late 1867 or early 1868. Simon P. Kase was a critical force in the building of the railroad. In 1870 an anthracite-burning locomotive was built for the railroad. By 1870, the Danville-Hazleton & Wilkes-Barre Railroad linked Sunbury and Danville. By 1871, the railroad extended 43 miles from Sunbury to Tomhicken. In 1872, the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad started to operate the Danville-Hazleton & Wilkes-Barre tracks. In 1878, the railroad was sold under foreclosure and the name was changed to the Sunbury Hazleton & Wilkesbarre Railroad.
The Sunbury Line was once owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad connecting its core system with the other anthracite
rail lines in and around Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It is presently owned and operated by Norfolk Southern Railway.
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Sumpter Valley Railway
SOLD Price: $225.00
Remarks: ca. late 1800's. Forged by the A&W Co.
Superb block lettering and two-tone gold patina. Nice oldie!
History
The railway was incorporated in 1890 by David Eccles. The 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railway's purpose was to haul logs to the Oregon Lumber Company sawmill in South Baker City. The sawmill and railroad remained separate corporations of the same owners for the life of the railroad. The builders of the railway also owned the Grande Ronde Lumber Company in Perry, Oregon, and the railway was financed by Mormons in Utah. The line was built over terrain originally considered as part of a railway from Denver, Colorado to the Pacific coast; but the Union Pacific Railroad opted for a different route to avoid bypassing growing communities which might provide an attractive opportunity for competition by the rapidly growing Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company.
The railway began losing business to automobiles and trucks, and in 1933 the 20 miles (32 km) of track between Prairie City and Bates were abandoned. Scheduled passenger service on the remaining line ended in 1937. Freight service remained, however, and in 1939 the railway purchased two 2-6-6-2T "mallet" locomotives from the Uintah Railway in Colorado.
Currently, the Sumpter Valley Railway, or Sumpter Valley Railroad, is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge heritage railroad located in Baker County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Built on a right-of-way used by the original railway of the same name, it carries excursion trains on a roughly 5-mile (8.0 km) route between McEwen and Sumpter. The railroad has two steam locomotives and several other pieces of rolling stock. Passenger excursion trains operate on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day through the end of September.
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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 02/03/2018
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