Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model
Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model

Mid-19th Century Smith & Reilley Railroad Car Heater Patent Model

$2,450.00
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Original patent model for Thomas Smith and John O. Reilley's Railroad Car Heating Apparatus, patented October 6, 1868 (U.S. Patent No. 82,885). Constructed of wood, aluminum, and metal fittings, the model depicts a section of a railway passenger car fitted with the inventors' compressed-air heating system. The design illustrates a central heating reservoir and piping arrangement intended to distribute warmed air throughout passenger cars by means of interconnected reservoirs and perforated pipes, providing more consistent heating than earlier stove-based systems. Accompanying the model are its original patent documents housed in a protective sleeve, along with identification tags bearing period handwritten inscriptions, documenting the model's provenance and identification as an original United States patent model.

Displays moderate to heavy age-related wear consistent with its age and use. The wooden car bed, wheel assemblies, and metal heating apparatus remain structurally sound; however, the upright supports and two surviving roof panels exhibit numerous separated joints, making the overall model fragile. Cross braces are detached at one end, one roof panel is no longer secured to the frame, and evidence suggests a third roof panel is missing. The upright behind the heater was originally notched to accommodate piping but has fractured completely, with the separated ends presently resting together. Additional damage is present at the joints where nearly all uprights meet the car bed. The heating apparatus itself remains in good condition, though the roof opening above the heater suggests a missing vent or exhaust pipe. The original patent documents are housed in sewn plastic protective sleeves showing losses to the binding tape and loose stitching. The linen patent document appears to consist of a single heavy sheet, or multiple pages now adhered together. Two cardstock identification tags accompany the paperwork, one retaining legible handwritten cursive notations. Overall, the model remains an exceptionally scarce surviving example of nineteenth-century American patent history.

10" L x 6" W x 7" H

MM - 21931 - 073126

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