Railroadiana Items In Your Collection

I have several Ann Arbor Railroad items in my collection.  I do have some timetables and rule books but the gem is a track diagram from the engineering department for the entire line from Toledo to the boat landing.  Unfortunately, I do not have pictures at this time.

I have some lanterns,logging items and a caboose.

a caboose?   sweet...

It is a replica but 1 to 1 scale. I built it using plans, photos and old wooden car builder guides. I had the structural wood milled from logs. I work on it for two weeks in the summer or so a year for the last 7 years. It's not quite done. I built it on the old ROW it ran on in the Adirondacks 97 years ago. 
Here is a link to pics on my webpage.
http://www.andyestep.com/caboose.html

I have timetables, Rulebooks, Lanterns, insulators, plans.  Helps when you work for a RR.

How about a small paperback book describing the builing of the Pennsylvania RR station in New York city, I think the date on it is 1908.

 

Lee F.

I've owned this for nearly 40 years now...  D&H wood caboose, built in 1913.

Railroad telegraph table with four stations now used to display part of locomotive collection and as a roadbed for track, EMD E-7 operator's manual, lanterns, switch and telegraph keys, and timetables.

Very nice Whippany. It looks like it's in good shape too for a wooden car.

It looks like folks have some great stuff.

 

Here's an NYO&W rulebook dated May 15, 1913:

  

Railroadiana......my other hobby. I collect anything used by the railroad including lanterns, signs, tools, lamps, signals, paper and other hardware.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NJCJOE, I am very impressed with your collection, especially the "WORCESTER" green & white sign on the garage/building. I live in Shrewsbury MA which is just outside of Worcester MA.. Nice score!

 

I have a few lanterns, spikes & date nails, and a traffic & walk light (which really isn't railroad related but is still cool).

 

Paul Goodness

NJCJOE:

 

Even though I own my own railroad depot (Bear Creek Junction), your FINE collection definitely makes you DA MAN! 

 

AWESOME!

Nice collection NJCJOE.

i can see i'm falling way behind!  all i have in my back yard is a darn pool...

Speaking of railroadiana.

 

Did anyone see the article in the Philadelphia Enquirer about the post office finally delivering a 1950 PRR Railroad Calender to the news paper in Scranton PA. Seems it was addressed to the editor who is deceased.

 

Only took them 62 years to deliver it. Guess the sender did not put the right amount of postage on the mailing tube.

I collect railroadiana relating to the Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air Line and Southern Railway. My main interest is the ACL, and I have lanterns, over 100 public and employee timetables, rule books, menus, china and other miscellaneous paperwork. I have much of the same for the SAL and Southern as well. I use these items to develop railroad characters at the NC Transportation Museum to give guided tours or special programs. My latest character is a RPO clerk, complete with grip box and badge.

Here's the link to the news story about the PRR 1950 calendar finally being delivered: http://thetimes-tribune.com/ne...s-calendar-1.1422637

A paper collection related to the interurban era. I have about 100 CNS&M forms documents etc, along with a collection of interurban postcards, pamphlets, timetables, tickets etc. probably the rarest thing I have is a large format old Niles Car Co catalog..of available interurban designs. I also have a PRR owned \framed Griff Teller calendar scene..etc

I have a few signs and a Baldwin bell and cradle, NJCJOE's collection is unbelievable. Fred

World War I medallion given to my great-grandfather for his service. 

 

 

 

Railroadiana stuff; let's see.  Lanterns, switch keys, rule books, timetables, maps, tariffs, uniform insignia, insulators, the usual.  I have a lot of PRR stuff that came from a friend of my father's who was a PRR conductor.  He had hired out around 1940 and didn't appear to have ever thrown anything away.

 

My wife's great, great grandfather was a tower operator on the Big Four in Hamilton, OH in the teens and I have his old lantern along with 3 globes, one clear with no logo and a red and a clear, both with the Big Four initials.

 

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; all stuff that was being thrown out.  The mileage tariffs are the most fascinating to look through and normally include a system map for the issuing railroad on the back cover.  Some of the ones I rescued from the trash back in the early '80's carried mail department stamps from the 1920's.

 

Curt

One of the things I collect are old (1870s-1930s) stereoview cards. I focus on railroad, Christmas, children, and bathing beach subjects. I have some nice train views from the early 1900s, and NYC Elevated views from the turn of the last century. The 3-D images make these photos more realistic, although they are not in color.

I also collect "linen" era postcards (1930-1950). For some reason, the buses interest me more than the trains (maybe because Streamlined Train cards are very common).

Here we have a few EMD operating manuals.

 

First is Manual No. 2314 for the SD7:

  

 

Next is No. 2319 dated August, 1954 for the SD9:

 

 

 

The title page of the SD7 manual is not dated; however, it is a first edition and the composite wiring diagram is labeled October, 1952.

 

Bob

Those are in very nice condition, and generally sell for $15 to $25 each at the railroad memorabilia shows. 

I picked up EMD's E-7 operating manual about 20 years ago for $7.

Only piece I have is a rail spike that came from the FEC ROW that I found after the MOW crew came through replacing some wooden ties under one of the sidings that used to go to a concrete plant.

ICG timetables, rulebooks

I've never really collected Railroadiana items.  My dad's best friend and our next door neighbor while growing up worked for Southern Pacific for 42 years.  His name is Elmer Wright.  At one time he was the Yard Master for the SP Bayshore Yard in San Francisco.  He is now in his 80's.  He just recently gave me the following personal SP items:

Brass Switch Keys

Lantern

Railroad Watch Certification Card

SP Rules and Regs Manual

Safe Work Practices Manual

SP Gear Bag - Given out as a safety award

Switch Man ID Card

Yard Master ID Card

They're all on display in my layout room.

Matt

Since the E7 manual was mentioned above, here's one in my collection:

 

 

 

 

Note the inclusion of the PRR keystone on the cover. During the early years of dieselization, some manuals were published in railroad specific editions. My example was issued upon delivery to the Pennsy of the 5900 and 5901, the first two E7s purchased by the railroad. In fact, the title page references these two unit numbers specifically and the illustration of the 5900 and 5901 pictured above is printed on Page 2.

 

This is Manual No. 2300 with a revision date of January 1, 1946.

 

Bob        

I have Pa Railroad Co.(PRR) 50 share stock certificate issued to the J C Wheat & Co. in 1963 with a par value of $10 each share.   It has a great drawing/engraving of the Horseshoe Curve in the top center.  Maybe it's still worth $500?

Lots of stuff here including a control stand from an SD24 and various locomotive maintenance and operating manuals. Eleven volumes of Marshall Kirkman's "Science of Railways" books circa 1900. EMD 645 cylinder head cut in half with valves and fuel injector. Broken EMD engine parts. GE FDL engine camshaft section. A couple cast builders' plates from Australian railway carriages. Some Trains magazines back to 1948. Misc timetables and rulebooks. A few date nails from ties. A spike puller. And a few track ties and rails and spikes and tieplates and brake shoes and brake hoses and busted knuckles and cast ROW signs ...

My uncle in Michigan worked for Conrail (he now works under Norfolk Southern), so I have quite a bit of Conrail stuff, including:

 

-An employee hat

-Safety glasses

-Binder of operations manuals

-Coffee Mug

-Two lanterns: one regular and one "blue signal"

-I guess my O gauge GP38 could be considered part of this category, as he received it as an award from Conrail's safety program (and then I got it for Christmas). This was my first ever piece of O gauge equipment.

 

I also have plenty of other stuff, including several Amtrak timetables, brochures from train shows, calendars, newspaper clippings, the newspaper insert for Austin's "Capital MetroRail" service (still haven't been on it yet), Union Pacific map, Southern Pacific Timetable, handbook on oil-fired steam locomotives, some track parts, etc.

 

And... I have a genuine 1937 copy of Portraits of the Iron Horse. I don't know if it counts, but it's illustrated by the man responsible for the streamlined Hiawatha and Royal Blue locomotives: Otto Kuhler. No modern-day book can immerse you in the age of big steam and early streamliners like this one.

 

Aaron

 

I only have a few things, but what I do have mainly consists of Lehigh Valley Railroad stuff, from the part of the line between Slatington and Lehigh Gap. My Grandpa walks along the trail that they made out of this line, and he has brought me many spikes (including one with numbers on top). He also brought my two nails which he pulled out of ties. I know nothing about them. The one on the left has the letters "P", the center indent, then a "k". The other one has the number 20 on it. Any ideas?

 

 

I also have a Lehigh Valley Railroad bond from 1950. The funny thing is even though my Grandpa lives right across the street from the old Lehigh Valley mainline, and I live about 3 miles from it, I found this while on vacation in Maryland!

 

 

These I just bought last Friday, along with some Lionel ads and a bunch of car ads. If anyone has more information on these, I would appreciate that as well.

 

 

 

By the way, I buy, sell and trade railroadiana. If anyone is looking for a particular item let me know, I may be able to help.

Thank you for the information!

I've got a couple long spout oil cans (Santa Fe and Monon), a couple kero lanterns (Santa Fe & NYC), a couple "tallow pots" (D&RGW and UP) a Hamilton 992 pocket watch, and several builder's plates. My bell is one of my favorite items, from a Baldwin NP 0-6-0:

 

 

I sort of specialize in railroad items from the Disneyland Railroad. Here's a pretty complete collection of all the various builder's plates on the engines and equipment (some original, some poured from the same patterns that the real engines got their plates from, and some repro), along with a selection of tickets:

 

 

I even have a hand-striped and numbered section of one of the engine's tenders:

 

 

Additionally, I have about 50 textbooks on railroading (not the general interest kind you find in bookstores--these are catechisms and correspondence school textbooks from the 1890s through the 1940s), along with loads of photos and blueprints.

 

 

 

 

Following up on the above posts regarding date nails, here's an informative site discussing anything and everything pertaining to date nails:

 

http://facstaff.uindy.edu/~oaks/DateNailInfo.htm

 

I've got two bags full of Erie Railroad date nails which have been stashed under the layout for eons. This reminds me I should probably get them out and go through them one of these days.

 

Bob   

 

 

I'd forgotten about date nails till Bob just mentioned them.  Have a number of them too, along with match books, scratch pads and books of order notify bills of lading.

 

Perhaps I shouldn't have been so judgemental in my earlier post where I noted my Dad's former PRR friend had never thrown anything away. 

 

Curt 

I have a small collection of stuff that I have picked up or was given to me. Things such as timetables, rule books, custom seals, passes, glass/tableware, soap, matchbooks, etc. A few of the more interesting items are shown below: an ashtray from the Super Chief's 1st class lounge in the lower level of the dome car (how many famous folks could have used this?), a perfume sample (Lanvin's Mysin) given to 1st class passengers on the 20th Century Limited - this one came from my grandmother who rode it in the 1960's. I've only seen one other of these ever. Lastly, a postcard for indicating coal shipments from Rosyln, WA.

 

Peter

Very neat pieces in your collections everybody. Some very interesting stuff.

 

Here are a few photos of some more of my collection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have just a few things... My grandfathers pocketwatch with all the calibration dates scribed in the back of the case, several NYC lanterns (red and clear), NYC timetables, crossbucks, crossing lights, spouted oil can, the original blueprints for the NYC yard here in Utica (20' or so), NYC hard hat, dinner plates from the Mercury (I think), coffee cup and saucer from the Century, amd stories; lots of stories (remind me to tell you the one about my grandfather burning a switch and diving out of the way of an early 20th Century's on-rushing Hudson in the pitch black night).


Thanks, Mario

I am rebuilding a 1911 Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad track signal.  It will go out in front of my pole barn & a crossing signal for the other side.

 

NJCJoe:

 

I like the way you have your Bachmann Large Scale Shay displayed. The model is accurate for the Shay on the Pine Creek Railroad at Allaire. I've been trying to convince Bachmann to release the model in Pine Creek livery but, thus far, without success.

  

 

Bob

That Bachmann Shay is around 15 years old but what a fantastic engine. It runs so slow and smooth. It's a great locomotive.

While not a part of my personal collection, the New York Railroad Enthusiasts, of which I am a member, has a section of 20th Century Limited red carpet:

  

 

It's real treat seeing this at the monthly meetings!

 

Bob

Following up on smd4 Steve's post, I, too, own a number of railroad textbooks. Specifically, I have six titles published by the International Textbook Company of Scranton, PA. The volumes I have are as follows:

 

- ITC #506...Firing of Locomotives (Pub. 1928)

- ITC #511C...Locomotive Breakdowns and Appliances (Pub. 1943)

- ITC #514B...Compressors and Brake Equipments (Pub. 1935)

- ITC #530...Automatic Train Control (Pub. 1930)

- ITC #644...Diesel Locomotive Operation (Pub. 1946)

- ITC #645...No. 8 EL Diesel Brake Equipment (Pub. 1947)

 

The books have black hardcovers with gold lettering on the spine. They are profusely illustrated and were issued to provide employees with detailed instruction in the execution of their respective crafts. This is serious "nuts and bolts" railroad reading.

    

 

 

 

 

 

I acquired these books from the son of a retired UP Engineman who had passed on. He told me his father held them in high regard and referred to them often.

 

Bob   

Here's a selection of more EMD manuals, a few of which are for locomotive types which weren't common.

 

F3:

  

 

F9:

  

 

GP28:

  

 

SD39:

 

 

 

SDP40F:

 

 

Thanks to my 10 year old son for taking and loading these pictures into the computer. Technology is a wonderful thing.

 

Bob

I recently picked up a bunch of railroadania at a car show of all places:

 

 

I also own a bunch of Penn Central and Conrail literature:

 

 

My grandfather worked for the entire lineage of Pennsylvania through Conrail, so naturally all my railroadania is for these roads 

not many items off railroadania in my collection...but this is really nice......

This was a gift from a grateful patient of mine:

 

 

 

 

His dad was a conductor on the Penn Central based in Altoona.

 

Peter

The Parker-Kalon company commissioned one of the rarest Lionel postwar 6464 boxcar variants. It was molded in gray and had decals which said "Another carload of Parker-Kalon screws" 

I didn't realize kerosene lanterns were still in use through the Penn Central era!  I would have thought electric lamps would have replaced them at least in the last days of the PRR and NYC as separate companies.

Given the widespread use of more modern appliances by that point, it may seem hard to believe but kerosene hand held lanterns were indeed still in use on Penn Central. Also, PC had a mail order operation via which memorabilia could be purchased by the public. Laterns were among the items offered for sale.

 

Bob   

Bob, the ICS books are indeed great books--and yes, we actually still refer to them quite a bit. However, they weren't really "issued" to employees by the railroad. Instead, they were part of a correspondence course you would take if you wanted to become a railroader. These were textbooks you would read before taking a test on the subject, prior to "hiring on." Of course, because of their info, many were kept in railroaders' libraries after they became employees.

 

One of the prototype magazines had a lengthy feature aboutthe International Correspondence Schools courses a year or two ago.

Hi, Steve.

 

Thank you very much for the additional information regarding the books and courses. I had heard of these books but hadn't seen a copy for myself. In speaking with the gentleman and after already having purchased a few diesel operating manuals from him, I mentioned I like detailed, "hands on" information and he recommended these books to me. My only regret was not purchasing all the volumes he had but I had already spent a bunch and was running a bit low on available funds so I chose the six titles which looked most interesting to me.

 

Thanks again,

 

Bob      

Bob, you can often get them from www.abebooks.com, for reasonable prices. There were about 15 or so in the "blue" or "black" set you have for steam operations; many other volumes available for other aspects of railroading. Earlier (like the 1920s) they were slightly larger and in red or red-and-green covers (same info--the blues just have more "up-to-date" content). Click here if you want to see a pretty exhaustive list (about 1/3 down):

 

http://www.trainweb.org/tusp/libra.html

Thank you very much for the helpful information and advice. I'll start looking for more of those titles.

 

Here's another momento of the steam era. It is an instruction book for the operation and maintenance of Elesco locomotive feed water heaters published by The Superheater Company in 1926:

   

  

 

  

 

Bob

I have a number of NYC and Rock Island timetables and my wife bought me a complete railroad crossing for our anniversary a few years ago.  Putting that up in our new house will be this summers project.

I have a few items......

 

EMD manuals, including a SDL39 manual

Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee motor car (track speeder) instruction

Soo Line Swichstand (which I will be trading for a Milwaukee road one)

2 light color signal off the Milwaukee Road (Burlington Wisconsin)

Wabco AA2 Airhorn and a leslily 125 single chime horn

Plus alot of odds and ends

 

Here are a few Fairbanks-Morse items.

 

First up is one for the all the three rail O gauge folks. This is the Enginemen's Manual for the H24-66 Train Master and its slightly smaller brother, the H16-66:

  

 

 

 

Enginemen's Manual for the H12-44:

  

 

Trouble Shooters Manual for the "Erie Built" units:

  

 

Bob

A few more items from my collection.

 

A switch stand of unknown origin.

 

CRR of NJ brass fire extinguisher.

 

Great Northern marker lamp.

 

Lehigh Valley whistle sign.

 

1 track sign.

 

Miscellaneous stuff.

 

Headlight from Erie Lackawanna MU.

Hi, Joe.

 

Thanks for sharing more images. Would you happen to know from what locomotive your headlight is?

 

Bob  

Yes, the headlight came off of an Erie Lackawanna MU.

Joe, an absolutley wonderful collection!!! T hanks to everyone for sharing thier photos.

 

Tonight we have some NYCTA subway memorabilia.

 

First, a number plate from St. Louis Car Company built R-22 7729:

 

 

Next, a station sign from Kingsbridge Road on the IND Concourse Line:

 

 

Lastly, a station sign from Grand Central on the IRT:

 

 

Bob

Here's an item which I thought was appropriate given that Grand Central Terminal's Centennial celebration has begun. What we have here is artwork commisioned to commemorate the delivery of New York Central's fleet of ACMU cars. Trains consisting of the new equipment are shown exiting and entering the Park Avenue Tunnel at 96th Street. The construction of GCT was part of a larger project of which the electrification of this segment of the railroad was a key component. Look closely and you can see the New York Central reaching for the sky many blocks down Park Avenue...no Pan Am Building to ruin this view.

  

 

Bob

Not that I went out of my way to acquire any, but I did somehow wind up with a wooden clothes hanger stamped "NYCentral"-"Sleeping Car Service".

 

Needless to say, it's the only hanger in the house that isn't used to hold any clothing

 

---PCJ

My interest has been public timetables, at least since 1956, when I started collecting them. Here's a few:

 

One of my favorites.

 

 

Dave

I have never bought any railroadiana but have been given a number of items. My biggy is my great grandfathers lantern from is career as a B&O engineer. I also have a number of BLE items like badges and magazines.  My uncle Jimmy was the PR/advertising head at C&O in Huntington WV and gave me some EMD loco posters from late 60's -70's. 

 

PS.....almost all of my great grandmothers B&O passes she had in the 40 years he worked on the railroad!

A lot of paper...A ticket from the Civil War Era Western and Atlantic, over a hundred pieces of CNS&M paper, IT collection of shop buttons, envelopes, timetables calendars also TM, CRT streetcar tickets, railroad advertising postcards, some signed lithographs..a lot of paper items, original station calendar wall art from the PRR, etc, etc. I am donating this stuff to the IRM Strayhorn Library in my will to sell or keep. Tons of books, some rare, some not. Represents about a three decade long hobby of collecting.

Probably the nearest and dearest thing to me was one I created, in that I was visiting IRM and took a pretty good picture of Henry Cordell, the Chief Engineer for the CNS&M standing alongside one of his restored charges, an interurban signed for my hometown, talking to a former motorman. One can only imagine what they were reminiscing about..

David,

 

That gauge is awesome.

 

I figured I would try to get this thread started again. Here's an EMD switcher headlight I restored.

 

 

I have a few items.. My favorites are railroad signs from the defunct Bethlehem Steel. I have warning signs from their narrow gauge line and transfer cars.. Railroadannia is neat because it is not mass produced and can be unique. I have a bunch of 40,s and 50,s timestables in the store also..

I collect the framed steam prints by jim deneen=beautifully framed and double matted with inlaid usa postage stamps with railroad engine themes issued throughout the years.

Have the usual stuff, RR passes, Operating Rules, a whistle, date nails, track spikes, Brakeman's lantern, Ball Approved RR pocket watch, a few blueprints, old photos, Grif Teller PRR calandars, and books - a bunch of C&O documentation and assorted "bric a brak".

 

Larry

Whistle from Sandy River & Rangeley lakes engine, baggageman hat badge from Sandy River Railroad, piece of firebox and stay bolts from UP 3985,

I don't really get into railroadiana because I collect too much other stuff (and have to

slap my hand to keep from collecting more), so all I have are a few railroad spikes

picked up along Otto Mears' narrow gauge roadbeds, and a large bolt that my nephew

got from the ruins of the famous covered turntable on the Silverton RR some years ago.

(there is one other item for an eastern road that I bought cheap at an estate auction, but at the moment I can't think what it is, or what RR it is for)

I am working through a couple of bugs posting pictures from my iPod but in the las post I have a picture of a 40 year PRSL service pin and a 50 year PRR.  The MOST unusual and rare Pin is the 50 year Long Island pin.

I am enjoying this thread and the chance to see everybody's railroadiania.  Joe, your collection is awesome.  I'll post more pictures soon.

I believe that's a wheel flange gauge to check the wear on the car wheels.

A UP nose shield, a bit worn though.

 

 

My grandfather had a ton of stuff, including a private passenger car, a track speeder, and a working semaphore.  But since I was only 15 at his passing, my dad donated those and more to the local museum Grandpa was a member of.  Over the years a lot of the other stuff has "walked".  Now that I have my own place I need to go over to his old house and collect everything and catalog it.  But I do have some EMD builder plates, a bell and whistle, a few lanterns, Amtrak conductors uniform, some dishes and sheets, buttons and lifetime passes, signage, manuals and other paper stuff.  There were at one time some steam/air lines from a locomotive in his backyard, but I'm sure those have long wasted away.

Al,

 

Nice nose shield.

 

sinclair,

 

Take some photos and post them when you get a chance.

 

 

 

I have a printout of the first operating program for the Milwaukee Road's Mainframe Computers.

WOW! Where the heck did you find that Great Northern marker lamp, made by Dressel. I have been looking for one or better yet a pair for my real GN caboose? You are lucky to have one. But I would like to know what part of the Country it came from. Thanks!

Jeff

Sweet caboose Jeff. The lamp actually came from a friend of mine. I have no idea where he got it from but if I was to guess I would say Ebay.

This is my dwarf signal by my garage. When the garage door is up, the aspect is green; when the door is closed, the aspect is red. Since I can't see my garage door from our house, this method works terriffic! I know when the door is open or closed. Sorry for the snowy shot, it is the only one I have filed away of the signal.

 

 

We have a couple old kids menu's framed up. I'll try to get a pic and add it to the post.

Jeff,

 

I never had that style of marker lamp and have never seen any for sale either. The lamp was manufactured by Armspear. That's a hard one to find.

 

 

My Morton Manufacturing B&O Conductor's step box and an Adlake switch stand lamp housing.