Railroadiana Items In Your Collection

Granpa's Cufflinks:  Looks like the Denver Zephyr from about 1936?

Picked up this passenger car seat. It came from the Paoli Local, which was the Pennsy's first electrified commuter line. It ran from Paoli, Pa. into Philly. The seat was manufactured by Hale & Kilburn which was dissolved in 1928.

NJCJOE posted:

Picked up this passenger car seat. It came from the Paoli Local, which was the Pennsy's first electrified commuter line. It ran from Paoli, Pa. into Philly. The seat was manufactured by Hale & Kilburn which was dissolved in 1928.

Joe,

That is so cool and perfect for a train room!!

Enjoy,

Joe Gozzo

NJCJOE posted:

Picked up this passenger car seat. It came from the Paoli Local, which was the Pennsy's first electrified commuter line. It ran from Paoli, Pa. into Philly. The seat was manufactured by Hale & Kilburn which was dissolved in 1928.

Joe,

  I have a PC Conductor's cap and a conductor's ticket punch. I could collect fares from your visitors... 

Tom 

father.dragon posted:

One of many books in my collection. 

I have the 1941 and 1944 Locomotive Cyclopedias. Really neat stuff!

These books are incredible for all the stuff they cover, info you'll find nowhere else.

Here's one you don't see too often - Glass jar Edison primary battery for powering, among other things, remote signals that don't have a direct electrical connection.

From Railway Signaling

...and one of the batteries

The empty packet held the powder for the battery fluid and the bottle is full of oil to be poured on top of the mix to keep it from evaoprating.

Found these playing cards here locally for $3 still in the cellophane.

A brass lock from the P&R Ry. along with matching key.

A photo of my great granduncle Patrick J. Murray (looking out window), a motorman on the Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley Railroad, an interurban third-rail electric passenger railroad that ran between Scranton and Wilkes Barre, PA from 1903-1952.  This was one of the two local freight locomotives on the line (401 & 402).  I'm honored to also be the current caretaker of his badge, which is my personal avatar here on the forum.

NJCJOE posted:

A brass lock from the P&R Ry. along with matching key.

Even the most mundane things were embellished to look pleasing, and were built to last. 

Dads railroad pin from 1957 . I have always wanted to have it enlarged and framed to put over the trains that he bought for me.

juniata guy posted:

When I do dig stuff out and look at it, I tend to spend more time on the maps and tariffs than anything else.  I was fortunate to have been working for a large rail shipper at the time of rail deregulation in 1980 and was able to retrieve quite a few boxes of what had become useless tariffs.

Curt

Ah the good old days of a room full of railroad tariffs.  An hour of looking for an applicable rate and then finding the notation, "Not valid between August 1 and August 31". One instance that proved deregulation was long over due was when the UP filed(circa 1972) a unit train rate from Los Angeles to Bonner Springs. Commodity?  Yak fat.  And the ICC approved it.

John

Speaking of the PAOLI LOCAL. Here is a platform sign from one of the local PRR stations that served the local. Not sure which one. 

Since NJCJOE brought up the P&R and their switch locks - here's the 6 lever version.  The lock is opened by a push key.

Closed

Open

I can't remember if I posted this in the past or not, but this is one of my rarer items.  A Ford Motor Company rulebook from I believe 1946.  It covers crane operations as well as the railroad operations that would have been occurring within one of the plants.

Found in the trash 

PRRK4s posted:

Speaking of the PAOLI LOCAL. Here is a platform sign from one of the local PRR stations that served the local. Not sure which one. 

That is very cool. Here is one of the double sided ones that I have.

Joe,   My sign is actually made as a two sided sign as well but no lettering on the opposite side. The PAOLI LOCAL sign is also a relettered/repurposed sign, by the PRR themselves. You can make out the original lettering under the red paint. It says, in 3 lines: PAOLI LOCAL....CONNECTING FOR....WEST CHESTER. 

PRRK4s posted:

Joe,   My sign is actually made as a two sided sign as well but no lettering on the opposite side. The PAOLI LOCAL sign is also a relettered/repurposed sign, by the PRR themselves. You can make out the original lettering under the red paint. It says, in 3 lines: PAOLI LOCAL....CONNECTING FOR....WEST CHESTER. 

That is pretty neat. I have seen that done with station signs as well. Definitely adds to the character.

Picked this dude up a couple of months ago.  A Station advertisement for the Frisco Firefly... Litho on some kind of paperboard with hand painted wording.

Last night after grading quizzes (on computer of course, the college is completely locked) I treated myself to viewing this entire thread.  I was surprised I didn't see more telegraph keys and sounders.  And I though for sure I'd see some tower model boards (what is used in cTc interlocking).  Anybody besides Notch6 have anything like that?

Lou N

Here you go Lou. Some photos of my telegraph key, sounder and articulated sounder box.

I don't have any of the tower boards.

I added two more railroad treasures to the train building today.

A can (empty) of bi-lingual water from the Great White North:

Swizzle sticks courtesy of CP Hotels.

Rusty

NJCJOE posted:

Here you go Lou. Some photos of my telegraph key, sounder and articulated sounder box.

I don't have any of the tower boards.

Thank you NJCJOE.  

Attached is the interlock panel for the Kinsman Connection in Cleveland.  It was an interchange track between the NYC short line around Cleveland and the PRR.  This is a small remote panel. I don't have one that controls a large section of railroad.

Lou N

From my collection.

"Chico, don't be discouraged..."

N&W Steam Loco Seatbox

Picked up this cool sign this week, not real old, blue part is aluminum, but has nice patina.  My wife said it belonged in the backyard as we're frequently there "working" on something.

Some pieces added to the yard.

A PRR whistle post.

A PRR mile marker from the Bel-Del line.

A cut stone mile marker from the Belvidere Delaware Railroad, a predecessor of the PRR, which operated from 1851-1871. This is also from the Bel-Del line.

And a matching stone property marker.

I snagged this New York Central lantern at a train meet for $40.  Sylvia was shocked when I handed it to her and said, "I think your lamp oil will work in it."   Inside an hour she had it cleaned up and working.

Her's my switch stand before (2015) and last month when I restored it. The lantern is marked for the CB&Q, I have the matching lock as well. I own 25 lanterns. My best deal was a Santa Fe bell bottom lantern with embossed globe marked "Santa Fe". A flee market find 20 years ago. It was marked $7.00 but I got it for $5.00! The lantern are globe are in excellent condition. 

I bought my first lantern in the late 1960's. A CB&Q tall globe lantern with a twist off font in excellent condition, $5.00. The globe is embossed with "Burlington Route" inside a square rectangle (rare), the lantern is also mark CB&Q.

RAY

@Ray of sunshine posted:

Her's my switch stand before (2015) and last month when I restored it. The lantern is marked for the CB&Q, I have the matching lock as well. I own 25 lanterns. My best deal was a Santa Fe bell bottom lantern with embossed globe marked "Santa Fe". A flee market find 20 years ago. It was marked $7.00 but I got it for $5.00! The lantern are globe are in excellent condition. 

I bought my first lantern in the late 1960's. A CB&Q tall globe lantern with a twist off font in excellent condition, $5.00. The globe is embossed with "Burlington Route" inside a square rectangle (rare), the lantern is also mark CB&Q.

RAY

Ray, great restoration, love the display.

These items were donated to the Huber Breaker Preservation Society from a private collection. Missing is a train order wand that another member took for research. Included were several boxes of assorted paperwork, booklets and binders that are being sorted and categorized. The signal according to one of our society members is Lehigh Valley, but the conduit is snapped off, and the other signal, base and post are missing, which is unfortunate. 

I took this photograph in 1980-'81 I think...

...forgive the quality: it's a cell phone picture of a picture made from a slide.

Some years later, I was able to obtain this:

It's one of the very few pieces of railroadiana I have.

Mark in Oregon

As progress continues on finishing my basement, I added some memorabilia to the garage next to the basement stairs.

I recently picked up a replica CNR numberplate from U2g 6200 cast in Zinc/?. It’s quite heavy but not brass

  It was painted with a paint roller and looked kinda hideous, so I proceeded to remove the old paint and hand block sanded the raised surfaces to remove casting imperfections.

  I repainted with Acklands Grainger Red enamel in spray can, then hand painted the raised surfaces with Tamiiya Gold Leaf, to emulate brass

  Here are a few pics of the work after the messy stuff was done.
Al

One of the two CNJ passenger car lights that are hanging in my hallway.

A PRR nickel knobby key.