I found a round copper tag in a box of my grandmothers old belongings. It looks like maybe a tag for putting on luggage for a baggage car. it is marked P&O RY on one side and B64 on the other side. I cannot find any info on a P&O railway though. My dad me he had an uncle who would have been her brother who was in the Army in WW2 and I found British Based P&O Steam ship line. Any Ideas?
it could be a british railline in ww 2.the b 64 could be a passenger # ?
stay safe
joe
Just a wild guess, based on the “Reporting Marks” article at:
http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=195
in the “Railroad Reference / ABCs of Railroading” link (below):
POV = reporting marks for the Pittsburgh and Ohio Valley Railway
I don’t know anything else about this line, such as when and where it ran (runs ?).
- PDN.
This article (link below) - apparently from a 1923 document that is titled as “Railroad History, Pittsburgh Plan, 1923” - says that the P&OV was a 2.04 mile industrial line (only - no merchandise traffic, and certainly no passengers or baggage) on Neville Island that was owned by U.S. Steel:
http://pghbridges.com/articles/railroads/RRhistory_pghplanreview5.htm
On further thought, from your description and the “B 64” on the back, that tag sounds like it might be the “brass” that was used in steel mills and other factories back in the day for timekeeping and attendance purposes. It was assigned to a specific employee - kind of like the industrial version of a military “dog tag” - and which was checked in and out with the timekeeper when he went on and off duty each day. You might want to research that line of thought further.
- Paul North.
Take a look at this web page (“Newbie is an old geezer”) - particularly the explanation of “Brass Me In” by koha on 09-01-2005 about in the middle of it - which explains what I had in mind:
http://www.ihelpyou.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-17444.html
Also, “The Brass System of Timekeeping” - which has a few more details - at:
http://brassmein.com/articles/brassmein.htm
- PDN.
The time keeping idea does make sense. The family was from the south eastern Ohio area not far from Pittsburg. The uncle who was in ww2 came home and worked for the B&O in the track dept. Thats about all I know of him though. I have one of his rule books from the 1950’s. It is strange to talk about the life of a relative who you never met. It would be intersting to know what he did in the war and for the railroad.
Although I’ve not yet done any amount of it, I understand that this kind of thing is routine for the geneaology researchers and writers, etc. Off the top of my head, I believe that:
Military service record copies are obtainable, if you can present the right credentials. I have to do something like that for one of my aunts in the near future. There’s a form to fill out - it’s not too tough - and some ID has to be presented, I think, esp. if you’re not what they define as “next-of-kin”. Here’s the link to their web page:
http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/get-service-records.html
You can also contact the Railroad Retirement Board for a summary of his railroad employment record while he was with the B&O - that would affect the amount of his pension, so that’s why they would know, since it was after 1936. Here’s the link to that web page - note that the fee is $27, and it will take 30 to 60 days:
http://www.rrb.gov/mep/genealogy.asp
Maybe somebody else here has been through this more recently and can provide better advice. Also, if you pursue any of this, it might be interesting to see what you find, and how easy or difficult the research is, etc.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do !
- Paul North.
It is doubtful the P & O you seek is the Peoria & Oquawka.
Is it possible the “P” is really a badly hand stamped “B”?
Ooohhh - good - and likely - thought there ! (and also meaning, “Wish I’d thought of that !”) Very creative thinking process - “What else might it be, instead ?”
Thanks, Larry.
- Paul North.
Just experience speaking…
It is a clearly stamped P.&O. RY. I have found a listing online for a P&O RY The Portland & Ogdensburg Ry. It ran from Portland Maine to Burlington Vermont in the late 1800’s to eary 1900’s eventually becoming a part of the Main Central. It is complicated to follow the history of it though.
OK, it might well be that P & O. But that seems remote in distance from your family’s area, and earlier in time than your uncle’s work experience, if I understand your posts correctly ? It’s more up in tree68’s neck of the woods anyhow . . . .
- Paul.
Might have stopped at Burlington because the Rutland beat them to Ogdensburg. I don’t think it was ever a big money maker for the Rutland.
And yes, that’s just up the road from me a piece.
Sometimes tags were used as you suggest for routing luggage…or more often, sacks of mail. For mail, the “railroad name” was often not the name of the railroad, but referred to the route being taken so it might just be two cities on the line, or the name of the original railroad that built the line.
It occured to me the “RY” might refer to not to Railway but Railway Post Office??
I might be wrong but as an example, I think I read (in Classic Trains maybe) that mail carried by the Great Northern between Mpls/St.Paul and Duluth/Superior on the Gopher or Badger passenger trains that were cancelled on the train were cancelled with a stamp that said “M&D RY”. The M&D stood for “Minneapolis and Duluth” but I don’t think there was ever a railroad called that…so it could be for “Minneapolis and Duluth Railway Post Office”??
IF that’s the case, given your family’s location the “P” probably was for “Pittsburgh”. Maybe the “O” was for “Ohio”??
You are right Paul, That is a different local and time frame. It was a long shot on what the P&O Railway could have been. I cannot find a listing for that reporting mark. Maybe it is from a zoo or amusment park! I figured if anybody knew it would be on this forum.