{"id":1976,"date":"2023-08-21T16:00:52","date_gmt":"2023-08-21T20:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/?p=1976"},"modified":"2024-01-13T09:29:44","modified_gmt":"2024-01-13T14:29:44","slug":"what-are-railroad-watches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/what-are-railroad-watches\/","title":{"rendered":"WHAT ARE RAILROAD WATCHES?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"What<\/div>\n

My, how times have changed.<\/p>\n

\nThe railroads were once ruled by conductors<\/strong> with beautiful pocket watches, time pieces that kept the passengers heading towards a new destination<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nThese time pieces were called railroad watches<\/strong>, or more accurately<\/strong>…<\/p>\n

Railroad Approved Watches<\/h2>\n

\nTake a look at the watches from Amazon (great deals here<\/strong>) to see what I mean: railroad watches<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\nWell, over the last hundred years, the railroad watch has been on a great destination of its own… A brand new modern era.<\/strong><\/p>\n

They kept you on time<\/h2>\n

\nYou see, at one time, pocket watches or wrist watches (most were pocket watches<\/strong> back then) were used to keep the trains on time<\/strong>. They were used for years and years with pretty good accuracy.<\/p>\n

\nThere were no real set standards to begin with, but the railroads did try to make an effort to ensure that the conductors had a reliable time piece<\/strong>. It was not easy because a lot of watches were grandfathered<\/strong> into the system.<\/p>\n

\nIf they’d been using it for 20 years, they weren’t about to stop now. <\/strong>But the railroads did the best they could under the circumstances and tried to roll with advancements as they happened.<\/p>\n

Rapid Pace Increased Risk<\/h2>\n

\nAs traveling and trains increased at a rapid pace, so did the risks involved.<\/strong> In 1891 their luck ran out. In 1891 a train crash in Kipton, Ohio<\/strong> changed things forever. Two trains collided killing 11 people. That was a fatal moment in history, a turning point that ignited the watch industry<\/strong> and set the high standards that we still use today.<\/p>\n

The crash of 1891 was the result of a 4 minute error<\/h2>\n

\n4 minutes difference<\/strong> was the small window in time that took 11 people’s lives<\/strong>. Something had to be done, a change was needed. A commission was immediately established to make that change. Their goal was to set the guidelines and time standards across the trains and tracks. Little did they know, these standards would run for almost 100 years.<\/p>\n

Standards were set<\/h2>\n

\nOnce the standards were laid out, all the big watch companies set them in motion<\/strong>. Watch companies like: Illinois Watch Co. Elgin Watch Co. Hamilton Watch Co. Waltham (Ball) Watch Co. and Hampden Watch Co.<\/p>\n

So what was the goal of the train commission?<\/h2>\n

\nThe railroad standards were crucial for safety.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nEveryone involved had no choice<\/strong> but to embrace it. It resulted in producing highly accurate time pieces.<\/p>\n

\nThe whole goal was to keep 2 trains off the same length of track <\/strong>at any given moment.<\/p>\n

Crashes had to be avoided<\/h2>\n

\nThe public had to be assured that train transportation was safe.<\/strong> The standards would make sure of that.<\/p>\n

The 1891 Watch Standard Requirements were:<\/h2>\n