AtDDtA1: Railroad Watch

[robinlandseadel at comcast.net]

My Uncle---Charles G. Arlington (totally made-up name)
---was, for many years, one of those high-paid voice-over 
talents who worked in newsreels. "Back in the day" he 
collected race horses and Bugattis and lived across 
the street from Bob Hope, but as he segued over to 
radio, ending up on KFWB as it transitioned from 
top 40 to all news, all the time, he had to sell off the
luxury Automobiles and thoroughbreds so he took 
up collecting Railroad Clocks:

http://www.railroadiana.org/fakes/pgFakes_Clocks.php

http://cgi.ebay.com/Antique-Oak-railroad-clock_W0QQitemZ170075033542QQihZ007QQcategoryZ63592QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

He had about forty in his house, and they would all go off at once, 
more or less. Sleeping would be a hit-or miss affair at his place.


 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Dave Monroe <monropolitan at yahoo.com>
>    "'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/i
> ndex.do
> 
> 
>  
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