What makes a railroad standard watch? Well, today, a Timex Iron Man that reads 24-hour time (in Canada), is reliable, and is accurate to 30 seconds per week, is railroad standard. Since the inception of standards for railroad watches were first instituted about 140 years ago, the standards for railroad watches have been in a constant state of change.
One hundred years ago, a railroad watch had to have the following:
-in the USA, usually American made watches. Same in Canada but some Swiss made watches were permitted.
-accurate to better than 30 seconds per week.
-have at least 17 jewels, but 19, 21, 23 jewels were common.
-open faced with the winder at the 12.
-white (usually vitreous enamel) dial.
-bold black Arabic numerals in vitreous enamel.
-bold black hands, including a seconds hand.
-at times (in Canada), a 24-hour dial.
-capable of running at least 52 hours on one full wind.
-adjusted to at least 5 positions (sometimes 6).
-temperature compensated for heat and cold.
-double roller (roller table).
-isochronous (keeps time at the same rate when fully wound as it does after a 24-hour run.)
-lever set (technique for setting the hands).
-later, after diesel electric locomotives, they had to be anti-magnetic.
An employee who required a railroad standard watch on his job was obliged to visit a “watch inspector” (watchmaker) every two weeks to check the rate on his watch. If the watch was ever found to be performing out of standard, the watch had to be left with the watch inspector for service. And the watch had to be thoroughly reconditioned every two years by the inspector. The railroader was obliged to carry a card proving his watch was up to standard. Caught without his card up to date, he didn’t work!
I have included a print out of the watch repair records for a railroad watch in my collection that was used by the same railroader over a 45 year career working for the Canadian Pacific Railroad.
