BR Carriage keys question?

Are you planning to make one?

Used to have one that had been issued to my late father but it has long since gone missing.

 

Why not ask your railway to buy some rather than go to all that bother, can get the real thing here for £8.99 each plus P&P.

 

It's difficult to give precise dimentions because they may have been a ******* size, unique to the railway but the nearest I can say is 7/16" steel bar, set in a cast aluninium handle.

As the others have said though, I can't imagine it would be cost effective to make them - unless it was a very crude affair!

(Sorry, I didn't realise there was a naughty word blocker, let's say illegitimate size!!)

 

I'd suggest it would be far easier and quicker to buy one yourself, as I speak from experience when I say that bulk buying T-Keys is not generally high on the 'to do' list for heritage railway management. If there's a lot of demand, perhaps you could do a big order for yourself and your colleagues to save each of you having to pay extra for postage?

 

I believe a link bar from a standard interior house door handle is the same size. We have 100s of these at work. Try writing to a TOC to see if they will support your cause.

 

It is to be hoped nobody wants to write about Penistone or Scunthorpe!

 

The other colloquial name for a "t-key" is "budget key" (they are pretty much identical in their most basic form) and these are available at selected hardware stores. Be aware these may not be able to open certain mainline railway locks because those may have other (simple) security measures.

The more reputable railway/technical stores may well wish to seek confirmation of the intended use, and your employer/voluntary organisation.

 

The one linked to earlier certainly does.

 

I think so too. I have half an idea I've even confirmed it, either by measurement or by experiment, though I would only assign a confidence level of 35% or so to the memory.

Given a box of these bars, making up a bunch of T-keys would be very quick and easy - take two bars, lay one at right angles across the end of the other, two quick kfsssts with the MIG, on to the next one. Even easier with a few bits of scrap wood nailed together to make a jig. Certainly beats buying them at nearly 10 quid a pop.

 

Just use a bent screwdriver

 

I have one of the HOPS keys (mentioned above) and they're grand. A good product for minimal effort. They will e-mail your railway though to check you are entitled to have such an item.

 

I would recommend against that. Using anything other than a correctly sized square drive is likely to cause excessive wear to the lock.

A quick search for "budget lock key" produces a range of suppliers that are much cheaper than the one suggested here.