Railroads had many items that were used frequently and can be seen as tools of the railway trade. From the items trainmen carried to work, to the locks and keys used to secure switches, there are many interesting items that fall within this category of artifact. Railroading has been a career in the United States since the mid-1850s. Browse decades worth of tools - see how the technology changed over time. What improvements were made? What items are still in use today? The Northwest Railway Museum thinks the tools used by the trainman is an important story to tell.
