Tool Talk
What's-It Forum => What's-It Forum => Topic started by: Corey on January 26, 2012, 08:38:52 AM
-
Hello everyone
I picked up some wrenches this week and some of them have odd numbers and/or letters on them. They do not appear to be a normal marking for this type of wrench but I am not cmpletely sure. Do they have any significance? My thinking was it was an owner of the tools that marked them to identify the owner of the tool, but again, I have no idea.
In case it is hard to see from the pictures this is what the markings are:
1 - "M&STPRR"
2 - "762"
3 - "S 127"
4 - "LL"
-
"M&STPRR" would be a railroad marking, put there by the railroad. The others are forge marks often seen on those wrenches.
-
Minneapolis & St. Paul Railroad?
-
Thats actuall supposed to be "CM&STPRR"
from some research it looks like it is Chicago Milwaukee & St Paul
-
Some railroads liked to keep track of their tools, I suspect that the other numbers are toolroom numbers or such. LL is probably the fellow whose toolbox the wrench belonged in.....
(Lazy Larry's wrench.....)
-
The Milwaukee and St. Paul became the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad in 1874 and remained that way until the CM&StP went bankrupt in 1925 and was reorganized in 1928 as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Company ( commonly known as The Milwaukee Road). That might roughly date your wrench, assuming the marks were put on by the railroad and accurately reflect the name at the time.