Tool Talk
Wrench Forum => Wrench Forum => Topic started by: UncleBill on December 03, 2016, 01:39:21 PM
-
I originally posted this on Pictures Forum but thought I would update the info on this find for anyone who might have one or come across one. I am interested to hear if anyone has another tool from the same company. Please let me know.
Fairmont (not Fairmount) open end wrench 3 7/8" stamped with Fairmont in cursive writing.
I believe it is made around 1910 due to the fact it is much thicker then the VLCHECK made in the 20's that I show in the picture. The construction of the VLCHECK looks the same and the item came from a bulk purchase of old 1920's - 1940's tools from an estate sale in the Santa Barbara area.
I did send the picture to the museum to see if they can correctly date the wrench.
Fairmont Railway Motors, first known as the Fairmont Machine Company, started as a small machine shop in the 1900's making things such as single cylinder engines used mainly to pump water, saw wood, etc. Fairmont Railway Motors has evolved into Harsco Rail, a division of Harsco Corporation, one of the largest railroad maintenance equipment companies in the western hemisphere.
Link to Martin County Historical Society, Fairmont MN.
http://fairmont.org/mchs/rwmotors.htm
-
thanks for the link to the Fairmont Museum, I can remember seeing the workers moving on those yellow cars.
the crew could lift them off the tracks if a train was coming. as a kid, I longed for a ride on one, but never got it.
-
I found out some new info. My inquiry to the historical museum was forwarded to the Harsco Corporation. They said there was a tool kit that consisted of a tool box, spacer, grease gun, drawstring bag, ball peen hammer, pliers, standard screw driver, four open end wrenches (7/16 x 3/8, 9/16 x 1/2, 3/4 x 5/8, 7/8 x 3/16). Most of the tools were made by Fairmount and VLCHECK. They also said the wrenches were made by VLCHECK.
-
Great info and nice of the museum to forward your questions to Harsco for the answer I can't believe they still know what was in the kit. Not hard to see that Vlchek made that wrench, it's a dead ringer for one. Now get out there and find the rest of it.