If These Shirts Could Talk: The Tantalizing Tales Behind Used Clothes
The mysterious packages kept arriving, some from eBay, others from the Home …
Jockeying for Position: How Boxers and Briefs Got Into Men's Pants
Just as underclothes are shielded from public view, the evolution of men's most intimate apparel is shrouded in secrecy. But the story of men's underwear is about more …
Gloriously Grotesque 19th-Century Pipes
The meerschaum pipes carved in Eastern Europe at the end of the 19th century are among the most bizarre and improbable concoctions in decorative art. Some feature …
In the Hot Seat: Is Your Antique Windsor a Fake?
While researching her book, "Killer Stuff and Tons of Money," Maureen Stanton came across all sorts of characters. For years, she shadowed her antiques-dealer friend …
Love at First Kite: How Pizza and Pente Led to One Oklahoman's High-Flying Obsession
Vintage kites from all over the world hang from the ceiling and walls of Richard Dermer’s popula…
Blood, Sweat, and Steel: My Afternoon with the Ace of Swords
“When I got this sword, it was completely covered in blood rust.” Sword maker Francis Boyd is showing me yet another weapon pulled from yet another …
'The Great Gatsby' Still Gets Flappers Wrong
Have you heard? There’s a new swell in town named Gatsby, and he’s bringing flapper flair back into fashion. Baz Luhrmann’s latest cinematic spectacle—his take on “Th…
Say Ahhh: An Oral Surgeon's Quest to Reimagine the Garage-Band Guitar
It’s not unusual for men of a certain age to have a soft spot in their hearts for the look of vintage guitars and the sound…
Forget TV Pickers, Meet the Real Mavericks of the Antiques World
Long before Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz swaggered into the spotlight with "American Pickers," writer Maureen Stanton …
Coveting The Craziest Cat-People Collectibles
The memes are endless—Grumpy Cat, Nyan Cat, Keyboard Cat, Maru, and all the Lolcats. Last year even witnessed the first ever Internet Cat Video Fe…
what is it?? Found in my dads stuff. | Railroadiana522 of 642 |  |  |
Posted 2 years ago
lams
(1 item)
The silver dial can swing around in circles, and it moves the numbers on the dial. there are two dials..one numbered 10 to 90 . connected to the underside of that is another dial,,cannot tell what it is numbered to. it is heavy, with a brass ring at the top. The dial has the mark: Lionel Corporation New York..Is this a train item? if so what was it used for, if anyone knows. Thanks in advance!
Help us close this case. Add your knowledge below.
Create an account or login in order to post a comment.
RailroadianaThe railroads built America: up through WW2 they were the dominant form of …
Could be something off a ship, Lionel made ship instruments back in the day. Dave
Maybe something for determing the angle of something compared to the horizon? 0-90 degrees on the big dial, minutes on the small dial, use the square window next to the dial as a view finder. Just my guess.
My guess: I looks like maybe a turns counter for something. Each revolution of the horizontal screw would turn the outer dial (100 to 1 ratio). The inner dial being geared down from the outer dial (10 to 1) you would be able to read the total revolutions of the horizontal shaft. Is there a way to couple the horizontal shaft up to something that it came off of? Or like Pick'n said, something to determine a position, like a big gun elevation position indicator. ???
Looks like most of the Lionel WWII naval items were in the field of compasses and compass housings. Could it be part of a binnacle? Maybe the knobs and screw are to adjust the compass for true north and compensate for magnetism.
Happy..I don't see any signs that something else was ever attached. the inner dial shows 20, 30, and so on, but i have not flipped it around enough to see how high it goes.. the round ring at the top is in a fixed position, sort of awkward, not facing the front as would seem natural to me. P-and C.. a compass idea makes sense also. I have had this for years, and never got the chance to ask my father what it was, or if he even knew. Should I try to take it apart and clean the silver dials? thank you for your input. :)
Don't clean it, leave it as is! Dave