Railroad keychain fob/tag

[Mainedigger]

Found this on a keychain along with some keys rusted so bad they were almost gone. It appears to be silver, is corrosion marked some from the keys which were laying against it. The front has an Eagle along the top and under it it says..."Wm. B. Coyle, L & B R.R., Chelsea Mass. " On the back it says "Motorman, NO. 42, 1901"
My questions are what was the L&B railroad (Lowell & Boston??)and did the railroad issue these as keychains or was it a tag that was just attached to a keychain....Anyone familiar with the railroads and have any idea what it is? Thanks much.

 

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[PBK]

Pretty close, MD!

"L&BRR" was the reporting mark of the Lynn & Boston Railroad, which was actually a trolley or streetcar line formed in 1859. It reportedly operated only horse-drawn cars until 1892, and in 1901 the name of the line was changed to the Boston & Northern Street Railway. So, since your tag is stamped "Motorman," that helps narrow the date range to 1892-1901.

 

[txkickergirl]

as always PBK

I really need to borrow your brain just for a day!

 

[PBK]

as always PBK
I really need to borrow your brain just for a day!

Hey, help yourself... it's never been used!

 

[diggummup]

Good ID PBK. Now a little info on the tag itself. The number 42 was probably the car number as in "streetcar" since this was an electric single car system. It was more than likely issued by the company, especially if it is silver. Motormen only made about 20 cents an hour, which wasn't much even for the turn of the 20th century. Also, they had several keys that they would have had to use on a daily basis.
Nice rare find. Clean that puppy up!

 

[PBK]

There you go again, Dig... filling in all the blanks I've left behind!

Great post!

 

[diggummup]

There you go again, Dig... filling in all the blanks I've left behind!

Great post!

It's with great regard and admiration that I follow in your footsteps, most honorable one!

 

[Mainedigger]

PBK, Dig....thanks much for the i.d....you guys never cease to amaze me. I appreciate the help!!!

 

[Mainedigger]

Nice rare find. Clean that puppy up!

Dig....unfortuantely, what you see IS the cleaned up version...when I dug it both sides of it had corroded keys stuck to it and I wasn;t even sure what it was when I first dug it, threw it in my junk pile and cleaned it up later and discovered what it was. Thanks again to you and PBK for the info on it!!