I realize this is not a pocket watch, but I also know there are many railroad people on this site. Could someone tell me a little bit about this lock and how it may have been used. Also, does it appear to be authentic? Thanks for any input.
Joey

Joey, I would guess a signals lock but the best person to answer would be Buster Beck. A railroad man and very knowledgeable and a nice fellow to boot!

Is there a makers mark on the back of the hasp? Is the key marked?

Tom

It's a switch lock and switch key used to lock railway switches. Looks authentic to me.

http://railroadmemories.com/dynapage/IP7990.htm

Our CNR switch keys were made by R.M.Co. which I assume is on the back of the key you posted

Thank you gentlemen for the comments. The back of the key and hasp are both labeled as the link that Lorne sent. I am so thankful that I have access to all of the IHC185 memories. I have attached the back side of lock.
Thanks again,
Joey

Thank you Deacon !! Deacon & I have been friends for a decade or two now

I believe this is a Illinois Central Gulf Railroad switch lock & key as Lorne alluded to. I would say this style was used from 1972 through 1988. Switches that were entirely manually operated by hand as well as dual controlled switches [electric & manual] were locked & unlocked then lined for the correct route in order to switch trains & engines from one track to another. When these switches were not being used or unattended they were lined for a certain route and kept locked to avoid sabotage & catastrophes.

History;

Illinois Central Gulf Railroad: 1972–1988

On August 10, 1972 the Illinois Central Railroad merged with the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad to form the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. On October 30 that year the Illinois Central Gulf commuter rail crash, the company's deadliest, occurred. In the 1980s the railroad spun off most of its east-west lines and many of its redundant north-south lines, including much of the former GM&O. Most of these lines were bought by other railroads, including entirely new railroads such as the Chicago, Missouri and Western Railway, Paducah and Louisville Railway and Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad. In 1988 the railroad's then parent company IC Industries spun off its remaining rail assets and changed its name to the Whitman Corporation (which became PepsiAmericas in 2000 and acquired outright by PepsiCo in 2010). On February 29 of that year the newly separated ICG dropped the "Gulf" from its name and again became the Illinois Central Railroad.

At the end of 1980 ICG operated 8366 miles of railroad on 13532 miles of track; that year it reported 33276 million ton-miles of revenue freight and 323 million passenger-miles.

regards,
bb

Switch lock threads are rare around here so I will take advantage and show an old one. This is circa 1910 and was found in the dirt while switching to make up a train. The shackle was missing so a modern one was modified to fit.

Great Information! My father-in-law worked about 46 years for ICG. He was a pipefitter at a place called a roundhouse. He was a wealth of knowledge but I had no need for knowledge when I was younger, (I knew everything). Now that he is no longer with us, I have acquired a fascination for railroad history. This site is a great place to feed from.
Thanks for all the input.
Joey