Acquired this gem over the weekend as a gift from an 83 year old friend I regularly visit. He has quite a bit of items from his years of service in the railroad world, and many interesting stories and anecdotes about things from the earlier years of railroading. Quite amazing and fully functional. Dated March 5, 1929 on back. 90 years old !! Quite a treasure and honor for me to have received it as most of my switch locks to date are generic plain jane run of the mill types and not anywhere near that old or railroad specific as this one is.
I have one of those, but they are very rare. Same date and all. I had a big collection at one time but alas the offers got too high. I'll walk that back, really I didn't have any company property. It's just that easy , Steve.
Well I did not inquire as to how he came to be in possession of it, whether by hook or by crook. I like it as it has Frisco on the key opening cover and also I wasn't about to look the gift horse in the mouth. Rare perhaps but will be much treasured by me and eventually my son. My friend may have got it legimately as he was a collector over the years, but regardless I am quite honored he chose to pass it on to me. His family has no real interest in railroading or railroadania other than the fact that they could get money for it. Some of it is sentimental to him and he really doesnt relish the thought of it going to a stranger or being stashed away and forgotten in a box somewhere or just plain sold off outright for $$ by family members when he passes and they inherit it. So he has been going thru things and has expressed his desire to pass most of it on to me. My friend had previously passed on to me a telegraph key and receiver that his father had used in the service of the ATSF and they are both useable and working. I have them setup with a power supply. My son occaisonally likes to operate it, under my supervison of course, and I am teaching him about Morse code with it. He likes the Titanic movie so the first thing i taught him was how to send SOS and CQD as in the movie. He doesnt treat it like a toy anymore just randomly banging on the key and is now quite intriqued by it due to the that fact that it was used to communicate because there was no form of voice communication prior to telephones and eventually radio. A little bit of living history for my son and I.
