Here's an item I picked up from somewhere. Appears to be copper, 1 3/8 inches diameter with the Frisco coonskin on one side and a stamped 5800 on the other. Reminds me of the tokens I've seen in old call mine films where the miner would hang his token on a board and get his helmet lamp in return. I'm wondering if the Frisco had a similar use? Best Regards,
Chris, it looks like it could be some type of lockout tag. Electricians carry their own uniquely identifiable tag that they can hang on a breaker or service panel. It identifies something that is not to be turned on without the consent of that individual.
That looks like a payroll tag, they used to use at the Diesel Shops. The old tag system, was used prior to time clocks. I have seen many of them. Very Rare --prior to when I seen them in 1962. Just when you walked up the stairs, on the right side.
Thanks, Keith and Bill. Keith, hadn't thought of that being a vital part of electrical work. Rather like a blue flag for electricians. How'd the payroll tags work, Bill? Best Regards,
Each employee had a tag, when they arrived at work, the moved the tag that showed them on duty. Same when they went home. My Grandfather said as long as you was within 10 minutes they did not dock your pay. For some reason also, pay was broken down by a factor of 7, so if you worked over 7 minutes overtime you got 1/7 th of a hour of pay.
Neat stuff, Bill. That would be pretty interesting to try to replicate for a model railroad layout and its operating crew members.