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Large Spanner
Catalog #: 2002.3013.01,
Accession #: 2002.3013 Currently on display
From the Smithsonian Collection
Used in steam locomotive repair work for very large nuts and bolt heads.
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Physical Description |
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Single ended, open-end wrench. 6" W x 25" L
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Details |
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Dates Used: |
1930s - Today
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Note: | Type wrench used eveywhere, for big work |
Credit: | Gift of National Park Service |
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History |
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Part of a small array of hand tools displayed in "America On The Move" - such tools were used in the inspection and repair of steam locomotives. Light repairs on steam locomotives were usually done in roundhouses at the many small locomotive terminals throughout a railroad's system; heavy repairs were done in a large, centralized repair shop serving the whole system (often referred to as the "Back Shop"). Most of these tools date from the early- to the mid-20th century, roughly 1900-1955.
The term "spanner" could apply to any size open-end wrench. In the US, the term often applied to open-end wrenches to fit very large nuts and bolts. Steam locomotives had many "very large nuts and bolts" to both tighten and remove during repairs.
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