Carson and Colorado Railroad Dayton Manufacturing Brass C&CRR

Notes

The Carson and Colorado Railroad was incorporated in 1880 mainly to service the mines of the California/Nevada desert region. This narrow gauge railroad ran from Mound House, Nevada to Keeler, California.
The Carson and Colorado was owned by the Virginia and Truckee Railroad and was later sold to Southern Pacific in 1900.
This lock is not marked by a manufacturer, but is most likely a lock manufactured by Dayton Manufacturing, consistent with other similar period locks from the region. There are maybe 3 to 4 examples of this lock known and is verified to be from the Carson and Colorado, as examples have been dug and found along the right-of-way.
This lock is not to be confused with a lock marked “C & C Ry. Co,” for the Coal and Coke Railway Company.
This style lock is very distinctive and the design traces from Post & Co. to Dayton and then to Slaymaker. This lock has the cast “Close The Lock To Get The Key Out” on the dust cover. This style of lock originated with Post & Co. in the 1870’s. There is a historic connection between Post & Co, Dayton Mfg. and Slaymaker. In 1875, Mr. John Kirby Jr. became the Superintendent of Post & Co. Kirby took a struggling company with a poor reputation among the railroads with only 25 employees when he started. By 1883, Post & Co. enjoyed an elevated reputation and had 300 employees. Kirby went on to join the Dayton Mfg. Co. in 1883 and became their general manager in 1889. Dayton Mfg. was incorporated by the Barney and Smith Company to manufacture streetcar hardware for their business in 1882. In 1891, Dayton formed the Car Lamp Manufacturers Association with the likes of Adams & Westlake, James L. Howard and Company, and Post & Co. They pooled their patents, allowing them to share designs. In 1892, Dayton acquired Post & Co. In 1916, Slaymaker acquired Dayton and this lock design continued on their catalog with the “Slaymaker” name stamped on the shackle.