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Key, Switch


Image - Key, Switch
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Orangedale Railway Museum
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Nom de l'objet : Key, Switch
Catégorie de l'objet : Rail Transportation accessory
Matériaux : Metal
Numéro d'accession : 99.29.1
Date de début de production : 1919-06-19
Date de fin de production : 2000-02-01
Description : Key with a round head with a round circle at centre. The stem of the key is hollow. There are no cut marks along stem. Stem hooked at end.
Commentaires : Typically made of brass, railroad switch keys are usually a standard size to fit a switch lock. Each key would be customized at the end to fit the particular locks of a railroad. They are often marked with a railroad's name or initials. This key was made for Canadian National Railway. Switches determine which set of tracks a train will take at a railway junction. Often there is a straight set of tracks and a set that diverges left or right. Throwing the switch changes which set of tracks are connected to the route thereby guiding the wheels along a specific set of rails. This key was made for Canadian National Railway. The history of Canada's railways extends back to 1832 when twenty-three kilometres of track was laid between Laprarie and Sainte-Jean in Quebec. Numerous companies developed rail lines across the country through the nineteenth century funded in large part by the British government. Much of the funding dried up, however, with the advent of World War I. Accompanying slow-downs in immigration and economic growth sent the railway companies into financial crisis. The Canadian government led by Prime Minister Robert Borden took over management of the Canadian Northern Railway in 1917. By the following year, they had acquired fifteen other railroads and authorized the use of 'Canadian National Railways'. On June 6, 1919, Parliament passed an act to incorporate the Canadian National Railway Company, Limited. The company acquired Grand Trunk Pacific in 1920 and Grand Truck Railway in 1923. Through the 1920s, CN further expanded establishing express services, a telegraph company, a chain of hotels, and a steamship line. Their trains carried men west to the Prairies to help with the harvests and carried perishable silks east from Vancouver to New York. Following World War II, CN faced increasing competition from other modes of transport: trucks, cars, and airplanes. Facing increasing debt, the government transferred passenger service to VIA Rail in 1977. During the 1980s, the corporation divested its interests in its other businesses to help reduce debt and create financial stability. CN also re-examined its transport strategy; it opted to become a mainline railroad company that connected major production centres. Trucks or smaller rail lines could act as distribution feeders. Still in debt, however, the government decided to privatize the company in 1995. Within the first two years, the company exceeded its financial expectations. In 1999, CN merged with Illinois Central as a result of increasing pressure from other railway companies. The resulting company connects the Atlantic and Pacific coasts as well as the Gulf of Mexico.
Longueur : 5 cm
Largeur : 2.2 cm
Établissement : Orangedale Railway Museum  Facebook-Orangedale Railway Museum 
Ville de l'établissement : Orangedale
Province de l'établissement : Nova Scotia

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