Posted 8 years ago
Spiperato
(67 items)
I bought this Brass RR Switch Key at an open door flea market.
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Railroad - CRR of NJ
Manufacturer - W. BOHANNAN BROOKLYN, NY – W. Bohannan Co.
S – Switch
Code # - 1053
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Keys were an integral part of the railroad and are a major area of collecting for those who specialize only in the keys. Keys for locks were used by employees to access any area, switch, or item that had been secured by a lock. Keys are usually stamped with a code that describes what they open, the maker’s hallmark, and usually the railroad’s initials.
The earliest railroad ancestor of the CNJ was the "Elizabethtown & Somerville Railroad", incorporated in 1831 and opened from Elizabethport to Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1836.
The CNJ was absorbed into Conrail in April 1976 along with several other prominent bankrupt railroads of the northeastern United States.
The 4 digit number prob dates this key to the 1870's, maybe earlier. A good flea market find!!