Talbotton Railroad
Item: 3-T Georgia short line Price: $115.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Nice serif stamp marks and two-tone patina.
History
The Talbotton Railroad Company, was once owned and operated by the Persons family in Talbotton, Georgia. This short line owned several steam engines and ran from Talbotton to Paschal. The line had close ties to the Central of Georgia Railroad and would sometimes lease their engines. This Georgia short line was most likely absorbed by the CofG and whatever assests were left are now part of the CSX Transportation Co.
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Texas and Northern Railroad
Item: 6-T Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice stamp marks and gold patina.
History
The Texas and Northern Railway (reporting mark TN) is an eight-mile (13 km) railroad connecting Lone Star, Texas, to the former Louisiana and Arkansas Railway at Veals Switch between Daingerfield and Hughes Springs. Operations have been cut back, and since Lone Star was purchased by U.S. Steel, the railroad is managed under that company's railroad division, Transtar, Inc. Traffic consists of outbound pipe, and inbound scrap steel and alloy steel ingots. For years the railroad bought secondhand ALCO diesel locomotives and heavily modified them for their and the steel mill railroad operations.
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Tennessee Coal-Iron Railroad
Item: 9-T Price: $100.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice pocket worn lettering.
Great gold patina.
History
The Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company, also known as TCI and the Tennessee Company, was a major American steel manufacturer with interests in coal and iron ore mining and railroad operations.
At one time the second largest steel producer in the USA, TCI was listed on the first Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1896. However, in 1907, the company was merged with its principal rival, the United States Steel Corporation. The Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company was subsequently operated as a subsidiary of U. S. Steel for 45 years until it became a division of its parent company in 1952.
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Tennessee Railway
Item: 11-T Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. early-mid 1900s
Superb serif stamp marks and gold patina.
Informed by a reliable source, this 2nd style
TC key will work with locks-up to 1968.
History
In 1905, Samuel Spencer, then also the president of the Southern Railway, purchased the Paint Rock Coal & Coke Company Railroad and reorganized it as the Tennessee Railway. In 1906 he extended the railroad to the sawmill town of Norma. After the death of Samuel Spencer in 1907, his son H. B. Spencer, took over as president of the railroad. By 1910, he had extended the railroad to Newlands, 5-1/2 miles south of Smoky Junction.
The Tennessee Railway Company was in the hands of receivers July 1, 1913 until June 30, 1918. In 1918, the railroad was reorganized as the Tennessee Railroad Company. It again entered receivership on July 1, 1959, still with a Spencer at the company president level.
The line was acquired by the Southern Railway Company on February 20, 1973.
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Trinity & Brazos Valley Railway
Item: 14-T Price: $215.00
Remarks: Operated 1902-30
Forged by the S.R. Slaymaker Co.
Superb stamp marks and caramel patina.
Key listed in the
"American Railway's Switch Key Directory."
Given the moniker, "Boll Weevil."
80 year + octogenarian!
History
The Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway (reporting mark TBV) of Texas came into existence on October 7, 1902, originally chartered to build a railroad from Johnson County to the Beaumont area near the Gulf coast. It took its name from the Trinity and Brazos rivers. The first line opened between Hillsboro and Mexia in October 1903. It was extended north to Cleburne in January 1904, making a total of 78 miles of track between Cleburne and Mexia.
Financial problems in the system led to its purchase by Colorado and Southern Railway (C&S) on August 1, 1905. Benjamin F. Yoakum, a railroad executive who was a director of the C&S, was contracted to build more track in Trinity and Brazos Valley system. As part of the construction deal, C&S sold one-half of the securities issued for the project to Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway (CRIP), making the T&BV half-owned by both CRIP and C&S parent Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad.
As years passed so did the ownership of the T&BV.
In 1982 the railroad was officially merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad.
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Item: 18-T MoPac style cut Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Very nice stamp marks and gold patina.
80 year + octogenarian!
History
The Texas & Pacific Railway Company was created by federal charter in 1871, with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad between Marshall, Texas, and San Diego, California. Construction difficulties delayed westward progress, until American financier Jay Gould acquired an interest in the railroad in 1879. The T&P never reached San Diego; instead it met the Southern Pacific at Sierra Blanca, Texas, in 1881.
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Texas & Pacific Railway
Item: 19-T MoPac style cut Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Superb stamp marks dark patina.
This key stamped "RY" + key below
stamped "RR" = nice set.
80 year + octogenarian!
History - continued from above
The T&P had a significant foothold in Texas by the mid-1880s. The Missouri Pacific Railroad, also controlled by Gould, leased the T&P from 1881 to 1885 and continued a cooperative relationship with the T&P after the lease ended. Missouri Pacific gained majority ownership of the Texas & Pacific Railway's stock in 1928 but allowed it to continue operation as a separate entity until they were eventually merged on October 15, 1976.
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Texas & Pacific Railroad
Item: 20-T MoPac style cut Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. late 1800s
Early A&W hex stamp = 1st series.
Attractive stamp marks and gold patina.
Great serial No.2010
125 year + centenarian!
History - continued from above
On January 8, 1980, the Missouri Pacific Railroad was purchased by the Union Pacific Railroad. Because of lawsuits filed by competing railroads, the merger was not approved until September 13, 1982. However, due to outstanding bonds of the Missouri Pacific, the actual merger with the Union Pacific Railroad took place on January 1, 1997.
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Texas & Pacific Railway
Texas & Pacific Railroad
Item: 21-T New Listing Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900s
Very nice stamp marks and dark patina.
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Texas & Pacific Railroad
Item: 22-T MoPac style cut Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice stamp marks and caramel patina.
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Texas & Pacific Railroad
Item: 23-T car key Price: $75.00
Remarks: ca. early-mid 1900s
Nice stamp marks and dark patina.
Key listed in the
"American Railway's Switch Key Directory."
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Texas & Pacific Railroad
Item: 24-T Tex-Mex style bit Price: $100.00
Remarks: ca. 1904-21
Slaymaker forged.
Superb serif stamp marks and dark patina.
Key listed in the
"American Railway's Switch Key Directory."
100 year + centenarian!
History
The Texas Mexican Railway is a railroad that operates as a subsidiary of the Kansas City Southern Railway in Texas. It is often referred to as the Tex-Mex, or TexMex Railway.
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Texas South-Eastern Railroad
Item: 28-T Price: $115.00
Remarks: ca. mid 1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice stamp marks and gold patina.
History
The Texas South-Eastern is one of three short line railroads remaining from the boom period of the East Texas lumber industry. This can be attributed to the policy of the parent organization, now Temple-Inland, Incorporated, which practiced sustained cutting of timber and to the development of ancillary industries at Diboll. In addition, the railroad also serves various industries at Lufkin.
Its principal traffic has always been lumber and forest products, but daily for more than forty years it also ran a mixed train known affectionately as either "Take it Slow and Easy" or "Tattered, Shattered, and Expired."
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Terminal Railroad Association
Item: 31-T Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the M.M. Buck & Co.
Handsome tapered barrel.
Superb serif stamp marks and gold patina.
Interestingly enough, this style key worked just
as well as keys below with a Adlake TRRA steel lock.
A nice 1!
History
The railroad's predecessor companies in St. Louis date to 1797 when St. Louis was still part of Spanish Upper Louisiana. James Piggott was granted a license to operate a ferry between St. Louis and Illinoistown (now East St. Louis). Piggott's heirs sold the ferry to Samuel Wiggins in 1819. Wiggins bought 800 acres in East St. Louis including Bloody Island. Wiggins used a team of eight horses to propel the ferries. In 1828 he began steam-power ferry service across the river. In 1832 Wiggins sold his company and the new owners called the new company the Wiggins Ferry Service which would develop the Wiggins property as a rail yard. In 1870 the ferry began porting rail cars across the river one car at a time until the construction of the Eads Bridge.
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Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis
Item: 32-T Price: $65.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co. Different style cut
than TRRA key listed above.
Both key styles listed in the
"American Railway's Switch Key Directory."
History - continued from above
The Association built Union Station. It owns the Merchants Bridge and MacArthur Bridge, the latter which it received in 1989 in a swap with the City of St. Louis in exchange of title for the Eads Bridge. In the early years the Association was at odds with the St. Louis Merchants Exchange. The Exchange built the Eads Bridge but lost control to the Terminal Railroad. The Exchange then built the Merchants Bridge to keep the Terminal Railroad from having a monopoly. The Exchange then lost control of that bridge also to the Terminal Railroad. The railroad's practice of charging a tariff to coal trains crossing the Mississippi River would result in several industries locating in Illinois rather than Missouri. The steelmaking town of Granite City, Illinois was founded to avoid the tariffs.
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Terminal Railroad Association
Item: 33-T Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.
100 year + centenarian!
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Terminal Railroad Association
Item: 34-T Price: $45.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Great stamp marks and chocolate patina.
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Terminal Railroad Association
Item: 35-T Price: $195.00
Remarks: ca. late 1800s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Early A&W hex stamp = 1st series.
Excellent stamp marks and gold patina.
Double digit serial number.
125 year + centenarian!
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Thompson Run Branch
Item: 37-T Price: 50.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Absorbed into the Montour Railroad.
Very nice serif stamp marks and two-tone patina.
Unique star stamp.
History
On June 22, 1916, the Lewis Run Railway Company was organized to build two miles of track from the Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway's Thompson Run Branch at Mifflin Yard southward to the Montour #8 Mine in Pleasant Hills along today's Route 51. The Lewis Run Railway Company was merged into the Montour Railroad on June 17, 1917 and became the Montour Railroad Lewis Run Branch. The tracks to Montour #8 Mine were completed in 1918.
The Thompson Run branch, extends from Longview, Pa., on the West Side Belt, to a point of connection with the Union Railroad at Mifflin Junction, Pa., a distance of about 3 1/2 miles. The West Side Belt connects with the Pittsburg & Lake Erie Railroad at west end Pittsburg, Pa., where, through the intermediary of the Thompson Run Branch, it reaches the Union Railroad; with the Montour Railroad, a coal road, at Longview, Pa., with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, at Bruceton, Pa.; with the St. Clair Terminal Railroad, a so-called plant facility road affiliated with the Clairton Steel Company.
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Traverse City Railroad
Item: 40-T New Listing Price: $95.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
History
The Traverse City Railroad was the owner of a branch railroad from Walton Junction, Michigan, to Traverse City. The line was built in 1872, and connected with the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railway, to which it was sold in 1917.
In 1871, a group of enterprising businessmen in Traverse City led by Perry Hannah, co-owner of the largest company and logging operation in the area, led the group in forming the Traverse City Railroad Company and raising the necessary funds to begin constructing their vision. The line was completed the next year, stretching 26 miles from the heart of the developing business district to the existing Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad line. Passenger and freight service would begin on November 15th, 1872, and Traverse City was suddenly connected with the rest of the state - and by extension, country - like it never had been before. It was easier than ever to set up a business, given the quicker, more reliable transportation the railroad offered, and a good number of people began to make the move north. Just nine years after the establishment of rail service in Traverse City, in 1881, it had grown enough in population and significance to officially be incorporated into a village.
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Toledo & Indiana Railway
Item: 44-T interurban line Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by E.J. Brooks Co.
Superb stamp marks and patina.
Low serial number and unique foundry name.
100 year + centenarian!
1873: EJ Brooks Co. transitions from lead toy manufacturer to manufacturer of security seals, officially establishing the company you know today. EJ Brooks.
History
The Toledo & Indiana Railway Company was incorporated in 1901 to construct an electric interurban rail line westward from Toledo. The T&I was envisioned as part of an interurban network to connect Toledo-Indianapolis & Chicago. The Toledo & Indiana Railway's interurban cars were similar to trolleys, with their electric motors powered through an arm or "kite" extending from the top of the car to an overhead power line.
The Toledo & Indiana's route paralleled today's Norfolk Southern line between Toledo and Bryan, but the interurban cars provided more convenient schedules, more passenger stops, and were less expensive than passenger service on the "steam" railroad. These advantages, coupled with the fact that automobiles were still uncommon and roads unimproved, made the T&I an attractive option for travelers.
As highways and secondary roads improved, and automobiles and trucks became more common, interurban railways struggled financially. On October 15, 1939, Toledo & Indiana Railway car No.115 made the last trip over the rail line piloted by Lendall W. Vernier of Stryker, the company's most senior motorman.
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Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway
Item: 46-T Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. early 1900s
Forged by the Adams & Westlake Co.
Excellent stamp marks and dark patina.
Key listed in the
"American Railway's Switch Key Directory."
100 year + centenarian!
History
The Toledo-Peoria & Western Railway (TPW) is a short line railroad that operates 247 miles of track from Mapleton, Illinois, through Peoria across Illinois to Logansport, Indiana, and includes a branch line between Logansport to Winamac, Indiana. TP&W has trackage rights between Galesburg, Illinois, and Peoria, between Logansport and Kokomo, Indiana, and between Reynolds, Indiana, and Lafayette, Indiana. TPW has connections with UP, BNSF, NS, CSXT, CN, CP, CERA, CIM, KBSR and T&P. The railroad is now owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc.
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Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway
Item: 47-T Price: $45.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Nice pocket worn lettering and gold patina.
Different style cut then TP&W key above.
Key listed in the
"American Railway's Switch Key Directory."
History - continued from above
Today, under new ownership, the TP&W Railway is a short-line railroad that operates from Mapleton, IL through Peoria, IL, and on to Logansport, IN with trackage rights in other areas of Indiana and Illinois.
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Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad
Item: 49-T New car key Listing Price: $155.00
Remarks: ca. pre-1927
Forged by the Wilson Bohannan Co.
Superb stamp marks and dark patina.
100 year + rare centenarian beauty!
History
The Toledo and Ohio Central Railway (T&OC) was a railway company in the U.S. state of Ohio from 1885 to 1952. In 1928 it was leased by the New York Central System, which purchased the line in 1938.
In 1885, the line was renamed Toldeo & Ohio Central. Carloadings were up, and the T&OC sought expansion once again. In 1892, the T&OC bought the Toldeo, Columbus & Cincinnati, giving the combined companies two routes between the Ohio River and Toledo. The former TC&C line ran between Toledo and Columbus via Kenton. The line enjoyed modest success, and by 1922 the T&OC was leased by the New York Central. In 1938, the T&OC was formally merged into the New York Central.
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Toledo, St. Louis & Western Railroad
Item: 53-T Price: $85.00
Remarks: Operated 1881-1922
Forged by the S.R. Slaymaker Co.
Rustic two-tone patina.
History - continued from above
The TStL&W originated with the Toledo, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad, a company formed in February 1881 as a consolidation of several smaller, 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge lines connecting the Ohio cities of Toledo and Cincinnati with St. Louis, Missouri. Soon in financial difficulties, the company dropped its Cincinnati arm and reorganized in June 1886 as the Toledo, St. Louis & Kansas City Railroad and over the next two to three years converted its lines to 4 ft 8 1/2 in.
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Toledo, St. Louis & Western Railroad
Item: 54-T Price: $125.00
Remarks: ca. 1879-1917
Forged by the E.T. Fraim Co.
Superb stamp marks and gold patina.
125 year + centenarian!
History
Commonly known as the "Clover Leaf," the TStL&W was a railroad company that operated in northwestern Ohio, north central Indiana, and south central Illinois during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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Toledo, St. Louis & Western Railroad
Item: 55-T Price: $145.00
Remarks: ca. 1879-1917
Forged by the E.T. Fraim Co.
Superb stamp marks and two-tone patina.
125 year + centenarian!
History - continued from above
The Clover Leaf became part of the larger New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad (the Nickel Plate), on December 28, 1922, which eventually became part of Norfolk Southern.
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Toledo, St. Louis & Western Railroad
Item: 56-T Price: $150.00
Remarks: ca. 1879-1917
Forged by the E.T. Fraim Co.
Superb stamp marks
and gold patina.
Different style bit than Clover Leaf keys above.
125 year + rare centenarian!
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Toledo Terminal Railroad
Item: 61-T Price: $40.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Great stamp marks and gold patina.
History
Toledo Terminal Railroad was a railway company in the U.S. state of Ohio. Primarily a switching railroad, it made a complete loop around the city of Toledo, crossing the Maumee River twice. Currently, Toledo is served by CSX Transportation Co., Norfolk Southern Railroad, the Ann Arbor Railroad and the Canadian National Railroad.
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Toledo Terminal Railroad
Item: 62-T Price: $40.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Forged by the Adlake Co.
Great stamp marks and caramel patina.
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Tennessee Valley Authority Railroad
Item: 65-T Price: $50.00 $45.00
Remarks: ca. mid-1900s
Nice serif stamp marks and copper patina.
History
The Tennessee Valley Authority (T.V.A.) is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected by the Great Depression. The enterprise was a result of the efforts of Senator George W. Norris of Nebraska. TVA was envisioned not only as a provider, but also as a regional economic development agency that would use federal experts and electricity to rapidly modernize the region's economy and society.
This government sponsered line basically hauled coal out of the Tennessee mines that powered the dams. Established in the 1930's it's exsistence as a railroad and when it came to end is unclear.
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Switch Key Directory
American Railway's Switch Key Directory
Price: HC-$25.00 | CD-$35
Whether you're just starting out collecting switch key's or you have been a collector for many years, this 44-page switch key directory is a useful tool. Although, it does not list every railroad key there is, the directory has a 3-D diagram for the most common railroad keys in the collectors circle. With a CD, you can copy the directory to your hard drive and view and enlarge the pages on your computer screen. Price does not include shipping fees.
Upon request, I will "three ring" the pages for a book binder.
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Don Stewart's Railroad Switch Keys and Padlocks
Switch Keys and Locks Directory
Price: HC-$65.00 | CD-$55
One of the lesser known railroad directories is Don Stewart's Railroad Switch Keys and Padlocks Directory. The book includes 56 pages of switch key pictures, 12 pages of switch lock pictures, 12 supplemental pages including, 2 Canadian key picture pages and 32 pages of railroad names. It's another handy tool for beginners and even veteran collectors. The book contains 117 pages in all and is a ink jet printed copy of the original book. As noted, the CD copy is less expensive than a hard copy. The reason; printer ink and paper prices. With a CD, you can copy the directory to your hard drive and view and enlarge the pages on your computer screen. Price does not include shipping fees.
Upon request, I will "three ring" the pages for a book binder.
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Dates quoted for keys are approximate dates. 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 09/24/2024
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