The Railroad Locks Page

About Antique Railroad Locks

[Courtesy Railroadiana Online]: Railroad companies used locks of many kinds to secure their physical plants, because a misaligned switch or vandalized signal could have catastrophic consequences. Early locks were made of brass to resist corrosion and often had ornate, sometimes even beautiful, castings of railroad names to identify ownership. These are sometimes called "castbacks" or "fancy back locks." Later on, railroads switched to locks of plainer design, usually made of steel.

About Railroadiana

The railroads built America: up through WWII they were the dominant form of transport, with hundreds of major ‘roads’ hauling passengers and freight. The legacy of those days lives on as railroadiana: from paper (like calendars, postcards, photos and passes), to dining car collectibles like china and silver, to hardware like locks and badges and lanterns.