Eastern Railroad Discussion > Help in identifying a B&O hammer and it's use

My Dad gave me this hammer, he got it from cleaning up my Great Uncle's house after he passed, and all he could say about it was it came from my Dad's Grandfather who worked for the B&O. It has a B on one end of the head and a O on the other end and they are raised kinda like a branding iron. I am assuming you first struck the B end into something and rotated the hammer and struck again with the O end to signify that it was for B&O. So I was looking for someone who could help me understand if that is what it was used for and if so what kind of items would the hammer be marking (ends of ties?) and why? Also any other information about the hammer or it's use would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Joel

---

Should be a picture of the 'O' end.

---

Picture of the 'B' end of the hammer.

---

Hello,
Jovial after a long day of loading trailers at Target.
Anyhow I dont know what the hammer is for, but for me, and if it wasnt so old.....
I'd cook up a nice B&O steak on the grill......YUM!!!!!
Now, if I could find a T&P one (for Texas)...excellent!!!!
TheHammer
Mark!

Mark, do they know how to grill steaks down
there in Texas? :<)

Dave


> Hello,
> Jovial after a long day of loading trailers at
> Target.
> Anyhow I dont know what the hammer is for, but for
> me, and if it wasnt so old.....
> I'd cook up a nice B&O steak on the
> grill......YUM!!!!!
> Now, if I could find a T&P one (for
> Texas)...excellent!!!!
> TheHammer
> Mark!

Just a guess but I bet it was used to mark ownership of railroad ties. It was not uncommon for railroads to have initials stamped in the ends of the ties.
Roger Beckett

dsktc Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mark, do they know how to grill steaks down
> there in Texas? :<)
>
> Dave

H***, No.

Those Texas critters are raised on sage brush and bob wire.

Go to Kansas City for a real steak.

i would be guessing that it was to mark ties also.
i live in an old logging area and the logging companies had hammers like that to mark the logs before they were floated down the river. The mark can be seen even after sawing the end of the log off.
great family peice.
nice hammer, just watch your thumb when using it
stuart

My Grandfaather had a sawmill and had a hammer with his initials for marking ties. probably a tie branding tool. sick