A railroad ran on trust — and on locks. With trains rolling day and night over hundreds of switches, the wrong switch thrown by the wrong hand could wreck a train, so every important switch was secured with a heavy brass switch lock.
The keys were just as important. A standard railroad key opened the locks along a division, and it was issued only to trusted employees — conductors, agents and trainmen — who were responsible for every switch they touched. The lock and key on display here carry the markings of the line that owned them.
Badges told people who was who. A brass badge identified the railroad's own officers and trainmen, the men trusted to protect the freight, the passengers and the property of the road. Together these small metal objects are the quiet tools of keeping a railroad honest and safe.
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