This metal cap badge reads “CONDUCTOR” in skeleton type letters. The badge is plated and has two fastening pins or posts on the back with pin backs attached. The badge identified the wearer as a conductor on the Southern Pacific Railroad. The Southern Pacific Railroad ran throughout the southwest United States, opening in 1865 and operating until 1996 when it was taken over by the Union Pacific Railroad. The conductor was—and is today—the sole on-board supervisor of the train’s crew, responsible for the movement of the train, the safety of passengers, and the security and accounting of cargo on board.
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