Can anyone help me identify this as a railroad door knob, and if so what might the UPS intertwined letters stand for?
Thanks!
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Could be UNION PACIFIC STEAM????
U S Postoffice?
@GG1GUYY posted:Could be UNION PACIFIC STEAM????
Nope.
How do you know it's even railroad related?
United Security Products
UPS? That's obvious, it's the United Parcel Service entrance! 
@gunrunnerjohn posted:UPS? That's obvious, it's the United Parcel Service entrance!
Just my opinion but, I don't believe that the United Parcel Service is THAT old, to have a door knob like that.
@Hot Water posted:Just my opinion but, I don't believe that the United Parcel Service is THAT old, to have a door knob like that.
So before there was Pullman Green, there was Pullman Brown. A deep, saturated chocolate brown that is still used today by that ubiquitous parcel company.
Thanks for the replies!
this came from an auction of train stuff, models, lanterns and other door knob labeled ICRR (Illinois Central) so in fact I dont know anything about the door nob except that it is really heavy and has a patent issued June 6,1899. It appears to be brass. It has a locking nob with key on the other door nob that is not shown in the picture. The locking knob makes me tend to think it was not on a passenger car. But I am really just guessing about its use and history.
I have a circa 1900 house that we are restoring in NC and would like to use this in my train loft above the garage. I like history so it would be fun to figure the history of this knob/door set. I am going to working on using this in a reclaimed door along with the ICRR knob set.
Cheers!
Did some investigation of the patent date on the inside plate of the door knob set. Just if you are interested
https://patentimages.storage.g...7c4d45c/US626551.pdf
The insignia is still not a certainty.
Intertwined monograms like that were popular in the late 1800's.
Do a search for USP door knobs and you will find some with the same emblem. There is one nearly identical to yours on the bay with a price of $895.
I had that set of doorknobs and sold them at the Fort Pitt TCA Meet before the Covid outbreak. The letters stand for....Pittsburgh Union Station. When the PRR merged all the various branches of what became the PRR....these knobs were replaced at the Pittsburgh PRR Station...now known as The Pennsylvanian....an up scale apartment complex.
I received these artifacts from the estate of Carl Izzo an avid PRR modeler and one time president of The local chapter of PRRH&T Society.
I helped Mr. Izzo's 3 daughters liquidate his massive HO railroad collection. In return....daughter Cindy gave me lots of books and the door hardware.
Need more proof? Refer to the book "The Pennsy In The Steel City" by Ken Kobus and Jack Consoli. On page 7...top left corner...is a picture of the door knob hardware ....It was owned by Mr. Izzo at that time....then became mine....then I sold the 2 sets I had,
and....Robbin...absolutely use this hardware in your trainroom!!!
@Hot Water posted:Just my opinion but, I don't believe that the United Parcel Service is THAT old, to have a door knob like that.
Lighten up, it was a joke! 
Wow Tom! That is just fantastic information! Thank you so much! I will definitely use it but it is so much neater to have the history and story of where it came from. Cannot thank you enough, how cool!! I will make sure that some of the history and references are put in the assembly when I install it in a door (have lots of circa 1880-1900 doors to use or reuse) so that the history does not get lost. It is a massively heavy piece of hardware and works great! Made to last.
Just as an aside the train loft can see the old Beaufort NC train station as the train came right down the center of Broad st where the house is. They built a bridge then put the ties and track right on the dirt road and viola, train service connected the town to the mainland for the first time ever. The house and store saw the first train roll into town around 1905 and the last depart in the 1970s. I cannot get it back to an actual train building but it is or will be just a stones throw away.
Cheers!
I went and ordered a copy of Pennsy in the Steel City. Will be fun to read!
