This very nice Gurley Pocket Railroad Compass comes with its original box and tripod, making for a great display instrument.

I believe this instrument was made in the early 1900s. Gurley made this model for a number of years, and the box is missing its original paper label. The best dating clue is the metal Gurley tag on the outside of the box (see pic below, with the tag circled in blue). From what I can tell, Gurley started using this tag after 1900.

The telescope has nice optics and crosshairs.

The needle is about 4.5 inches long, and the level vials are good.

The needle lifter doesn't operate properly. The only other blemish I see on this instrument relates to the ends of the shaft for the sight vane folding hinge. They are not original to this instrument but are original to another Gurley compass. You have to look fairly closely to notice.

A complete Gurley Pocket Railroad Compass like this one would sell for 2x to 3x my asking price about 20 years ago. Dale Beeks sold a couple of these for $5000 or more - like this one. While these are no longer $3k plus instruments, a nice complete Gurley Pocket Railroad Compass is still a great instrument for a collector.

I have a good deal of information about Gurley, including some production information, posted on my Gurley Maker Webpage.