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| General RR History question https://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=26667 |
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| Author: | Brian Norden [ Wed Nov 19, 2008 12:12 am ] |
| Post subject: | General RR History question |
When did the railroads begin using car seals on box cars, etc.? These are the embossed metal strips that carried the railroad initials and a serial number. These would be threaded through the door hasp and then back into a bulb on one end which would be compressed to make the seal loop complete. The car could not be opened without breaking the seal. |
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| Author: | Matt Bumgarner [ Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:25 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General RR History question |
I have a lead one from the Richmond & Danville that was dug up at a battle site, as well as a general order from 1861 from the R&D that instructs conductors to collect all of the lead from the boxcar seals once they are cut. So at least 1861 from the broad gauge South is as early as I can help you with. Matt Bumgarner |
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| Author: | kalbrandt [ Wed Nov 19, 2008 12:02 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General RR History question |
I don't know if this is the earliest, but on 14 July 1857, D. W. Long of Baltimore, Md. received U. S. patent no. 17,796 for a car door seal. [Report of the Commissioner of Patents for the Year 1857, Vol. 2, Arts and Manufactures (Washington D. C., 1858), 141, http://books.google.com/books?id=tvcXAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA141&dq=car+seals&lr=&as_brr=1#PPA141,M1 (accessed 19 Nov. 2008)]. However, even by the late 1870s car door seals were not in general usage. [Marshall M. Kirkman, Railway Service: Trains and Stations (New York: Railroad Gazette, 1878), 211n, http://books.google.com/books?id=5vFLAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA210&dq=car+seals&lr=&as_brr=1 (accessed 19 Nov. 2008)]. |
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| Author: | Brian Norden [ Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:05 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General RR History question |
Thank you. So they do go back into the 19th Century. I had recently obtained one alleged to be from a western railroad that existed from 1892 to 1906. Wanted to find out if that was reasonable. |
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