AtDDtA1: Railroad Watch

[Dave Monroe]

   "'Sorry boys,' he frowned, making a show of pulling
out and consulting his old railroad watch....  an just
like that, they were off, arriving at the Palmer house
..." (AtD, Pt. I, Ch. 3, p. 30)


railroad watch

On April 19, 1891, a great train disaster occurred
that would forever change timekeeping on the railroad.
Two trains, because of an engineer's faulty timepiece,
collided near Cleveland, Ohio with 9 casualties. 

Following the disaster, a commission was appointed to
adopt a UNIVERSAL set of timekeeping standards by ALL
railroads. Precision was now needed in this enormous
industry. 

By 1893, the GENERAL RAILROAD TIMEPIECE STANDARDS were
in effect. Watches that fit this description became
known as Railroad watches....

http://www.timemachinewatch.com/history.htm

Many collectors feel that American watchmaking reached
its pinnacle with the invention of the railroad watch.
In an effort to meet the stringent and rigorous
demands of the railroads, where the incorrect time
could and did prove disastrous, American watchmakers
were called upon to make a watch that was incredibly
reliable and incredibly accurate -- far more so than
any watch previously being manufactured. And they met
the challenge! Following years of development, by the
turn of the 20th century American watch factories were
producing pocket watches of unsurpassed quality.
Watches that would lose no more than 30 seconds per
week. Watches that were specially adjusted to keep
accurate time no matter what position in which they
were held, and in both cold weather and hot. Watches
where all the major wheels were jeweled in order to
prevent wear from long hours, days, years and decades
of constant use. 

The main requirement for a railroad watch was, of
course, that it be accurate. Throughout the twenty
years from 1890 to 1910, the various railroads' watch
standards evolved, demanding more stringent adherence
to safety and good timekeeping principles. Although
minor local differences remained, they became uniform
enough such that the watch companies could build, at
reasonable cost, both 18 size, and later 16 size,
watches that would be accepted on any railroad....

http://barrygoldberg.net/railroad.htm

A large number of pocket watch collectors focus on
railroad watches.  These were amongst the highest
grade watches made, perhaps being superseded in time
keeping quality only by presentation watches and
navigational chronometers.  Their high value and
prestige, coupled with, in many instances, lower
production quantities and, of course, the vast romance
of railroading, are what make these watches attractive
to collectors.

http://www.pockethorology.org/Railroad/Railroad.htm

http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_26-56#Page_30

Cf. ...

Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale (1907)

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/974

http://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7682


the Palmer House

The Palmer House® Hilton
17 East Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois, United
States 60603
Tel: 1-312-726-7500   Fax: 1-312-917-1707 

http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/CHIPHHH-The-Palmer-House-Hilton-Illinois/index.do


 
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