Digging around in my pocket watch memorabilia, I found this interesting watch fob from the Union Switch & Signal Company. It has there logo, and a three color aspect semaphore signal.

The back is plain with no manufacturer trademark.

Union Switch & Signal was founded by George Westinghouse 1881 and located in Swissville, Pa near Pittsburgh, and the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. George Westinghouse also invented the railway airbrake in 1869. It's factory was in Wilmerding, Pa. also near Pittsburgh. U.S.& S. were pioneers in railway signaling, and made railroad crossing signals, bells, and gates him. Interlocking machines, signals, switches, and control panels for many highly congested railroad terminals,

A picture of the Harris Tower in Harrisburg, Pa. on the Pennsylvania railroad Co. built in 1929, it is now abandoned and owned by the National Railroad Historical Society

Union Switch & Signal Interlocking machine in Harris Tower, Harrisburg, Pa. In 1930, I notice a partial view of a Seth Thomas No. 2 regulator on the left-hand side.

Thanks for posting the photos Larry. I have one of the 1911A1 semi-auto pistols they made during WWII for the US Government.

Hello Tom:

That's really neat, I read about them making these pistols for the war effort, were they 45 caliber? Maybe you could that most of picture.

Larry

Yes Larry, they were a .45, during the war Colt, Singer, Remington-Rand, Ithaca and Union Switch & Signal made them. Singer is the rare one, $35,000 to $50,000 each. Then US&S but not anything near the value of the Singer. Only about 500 Singer's were made & US&S made about 55,000.

Tom great pictures of the US&S 1911A1 45 caliber semiautomatic pistol. It was really something during the second world war so many factories were able to retool and go into total war production of ordinance needs. I once had a Browning 9 mm Hi-Power made for the Canadian Army by Inglis a Canadian company that manufactured, washing machines.

Larry, I also thought it was impressive that all those companies could switch from making their normal products to making ammo, guns, aircraft, you name it. I don't know how they were able to do it and I wonder if it could be done today.

Tom

Hello Tom:

During World War II the need for armaments was great and it 1941 the CPR's Ogden shops were refitted to make 3 inch naval guns for the war effort, by the end of the war Ogden had turned out $30 million worth of war armaments. I remember when I started there in 1965, you could still see raised circles on the asphalt floor of the bays or the locomotive shop where the guns were erected, during the depression there were only 600 workers left, and they were only working 10 days a month, with the war production, employment swelled to over 1600 workers, all the locomotive repair was moved to the tender shop, and the locomotive shop was totally dedicated to this gun manufacturing. This was done under the eyes of the British Admiralty looking after quality control, a lot of specialized lathes, and milling machines were brought in, and were still there in the 1960s, they had brass plates on them saying that they were the property of the British Admiralty. CPR's main repair shop at Angus in Montréal, Québec went into production of tanks. We have a great Military Museum in Calgary for all the armed forces, I know they have one of those guns from Ogden there, I'm going to try to get out some time this year and get some pictures. I can sure see why they said the United States, and Canada to a lesser degree were the arsenal of the democracies, Canada's Navy that is a 100 years old now, had a substantial fleet in World War II escorting convoys in the North Atlantic. Here is a close-up of the Inglis Canada markings on the Browning hi power

hi Tom and Larry; used to have a Browning 9mm myself,and a 1911 colt as well , both beauty guns. My question is this; what is the significance of the grip on the Inglis?

Larry I like those grips! I never had a Browning High Power, I plan on getting one someday. I took one off a guy once on a kidnapping but of course it went into evidence.

Tom

Hello Tom & Tom, those are nice grips, the Browning originally came with the ordinance issued ones, our friend of mine who I sold the gun to upgraded it with the nice-looking grips, their significance I have no idea.

Larry