Southern Pacific Lock

[jernigan00]

I found this about 8". My brother and I hit several older vacant homes and foundations in an old RR town in SE AZ. I am still learning up on its history, ie manufacter, date, value.

I hope the fact that it has been hacksawed doesn't kill the value too much. I would love to know the history on why it was cut or by whom, perhaps what this lock may have been guarding from thieves and why it wound up where it did in the front yard of a house foundation.

On the bar of the lock I stripped some of the paint away so I could make out some of the writting. All I could get was something like "......fraim Lock CO" then "Lancaster, PA USA".

Anybody with any ideas?

HH.

 

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[ModernMiner]

Congrats on a great find. Those old RR locks are so cool looking.
Way to go.
-MM-

 

[PBK]

The maker is the E. T. Fraim Lock Co. Arnall's The Padlock Collector lists this lock at $60 in good condition; Knous's Railroadiana, $80-90.

 

[tymcmurray]

Nice lock in decent shape.
Except for the cut.

 

[aa battery]

I have a couple SP locks but not as nice as yours.I was told some of the SP employees still have keys for those locks because they are still in use today....aa

 

[jernigan00]

Thanks for the info PBK.

I guess this means I have to take up yet another hobby.......collecting railroad locks and such. I'll have to fit it in to my schedule along with collecting bottles, keys, coins, tokens, buttons, toy cars, marbles, dohickies, whatsits, wachamacallits and doodads.

Thanks to my DFX the rest of my life is booked.

 

[Thomas007]

Great Find!

The dry climate really protected the lock nicely.

Looks like someone tried picking it and ended up cutting it. Some of those hasps were made from really hard metal and took a lot of work to hack through. Cutters worked better on some of them

Anyway great... How far from Bisbee did you find the lock?

Lots of stuff there. Hope you find it all!

Sanat

 

[jernigan00]

Sanat I found it in Willcox, about an hour or more from Bisbee.

I must say, this IS one of by better finds.

Thanks

 

[DigEmAll]

Don't let 'em lie to ya'll... he got it in a pawn shop!

J/K Really nice find G.

Now show us all the cool stuff you found today in the "spot".

 

[jernigan00]

I wish I had better results in the "spot", Dig. In an hour worth of time, I found "A" coin....... Not sure yet what it is due the encrustation. I would wager its a wheat due to the location.

I will post a pic of it "before and after cleaning" in a new post and talk about the location.

Dig, I only hit about a third of the spot and found very little. Lots of junk hits though.

Sorry everybody for this "you had to be there" conversation. Digemall gave me a heads up on a real good spot in a local park where the recently tore up and old shuffleboard court. I intend to finish covering the whole area soon and post my results.

HH, ya'll