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Each railroad either established their own requirements and had its own inspection service, or contracted an inspection service to ensure that all watches in use by specified personnel meet standard requirements. Different railroads accepted different watches. While some railroads listed specific makes and grades as acceptable, others just listed requirements. Not all watches manufactured as meeting railroad standards were approved by all railroads.
A standard watch is one that met the general time service requirements that were in effect at the time that it was built. Watch standards continued to evolve as time progressed and technology improved, however watches which met railroad requirement at the time they entered service typically could continue to be used as long as they remained in first-class condition and continued to meet the 30 second per week requirement.
American made 18-size, 15-jewel, patent regulator, "adjusted" pocket watches in both hunting and open face cases dominated railroad service during the later part of nineteenth century. Through the 1880's "adjusted" typically meant adjusted to isochronism, heat and cold, although the highest grade watch movements were also adjusted to positions.
Beginning in 1885 the General Time Convention worked to develop a Standard Code of Railroad Operating Rules, an industry code that is still in use. They began their work by sending questionnaires to member railroads. In April 1887 the General Time Convention adopted Rule 16 of the Standard Code:
"Each conductor and engineman must have a reliable watch, which has been examined and certified to on the form attached hereto, by a responsible watchmaker. Conductors and enginemen entering service must file such a certificate before they are allowed to take charge of trains or engines; and watches must be examined, and certificates renewed, every six months."
The certificate referenced specified "variation not to exceed thirty seconds per week." While adherence to the Standard Code was voluntary, it represented the best operating practices for the 1880's and was based on rules already in use by various railroad companies.
During the 1890's 18-size, 17-jewel pocket watches dominated sales for railroad service, with most being adjusted to positions by the middle of the decade.
By the first decade of the twentieth century new smaller model "16-size" pocket watches began to appear in significant quantities. Requirements for new watches to be used in railroad service changed - eventually only open-face watches were allowed, fewer 18-size movements were allowed, and the minimum number of jewels was increased to 17 jewels, 21-jewel watches became popular. The marking "Adjusted" gave way to "Adjusted 5 Positions" and just about all new standard watches were fitted with a double roller. Total 16-size watch movement production exceeded 18-size watches by 1915. By the mid-1920's production of 18-size railroad grade movements had ended.
General Railroad Timepiece Standards - 1893
The railroad industry was called upon to create standards for watches which all railroads would eventually follow. By 1893 the General Railroad Timepiece Standards Commission presented new guidelines, referred to as the General Railroad Timepiece Standards, which required watches in use by employees responsible for train movement meet the following recommended minimum standards:
Be open face (no lid over the dial), size 18 or 16 (Lancashire Gauge for measuring watches, as measured at the dial plate, size 18 equals 1 23/30" or 44.86 mm, size 16 equals 1 11/16" or 43.18 mm)
Plain white dial, bold black hands, and bold Arabic numbers
Have the winding stem at 12 o'clock
Be lever set (to set the time, the case had to be opened, lever pulled out to set the hands, to prevent an accidental change, rather than pendant set)
Have a minimum of 17 jewels, a double roller, steel escape wheel, micrometric regulator and grade on back plate
Be adjusted to at least 5 positions (stem up, left side up, right side up, face up and face down)
Temperature compensated for 34 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit
Keep time accurately to within a gain or loss no more than than 30 seconds a week
Following the adoption of the 1893 General Railroad Timepiece Standards, watch manufacturers designed watches to meet railroad standard requirements. Many of railroads did not adopt all of these recommended standards for another decade.
In publishing watch requirements railroads commonly continued to accept roman numerals on dials, open-face pendant-set watches and a minimum of 15-jewels watches, until 1906-1908.
Some railroads continued to accept hunting case watches with hunting case movements into the 1920's. Watches adjusted to 3 positions, rather than the recommended 5 positions, were generally accepted in railroad service until around 1907, with some railroads including the ATSF continuing to accept them into the 1920's.
Cleaning and Repairing of Watches
Unless watches are equipped with anti-magnetic balance wheels and hair springs, they should not be exposed to the influence of powerful magnetic fields, such as generators, unshielded dynamos, transformers, magneto-electric machines, radios, or magnetic cranes.
Occasional checks of watches for magnetism should be made by time inspector and if found to be magnetized sufficiently to affect the rate, the magnetism should be removed without cost to the employee.
Watches of employees subject to time service uses must be cleaned and oiled within eighteen months of date they enter service as a new watch or from date of last cleaning and oiling. Superintendents will notify employees of the date watches are due for cleaning.
Only genuine factory material will be used in replacing defective and worn parts of watches.
When a standard watch is left with a designated time inspector for cleaning and oiling and/or repairing, a standard certified loaner will be loaned to the employee without charge.
Wristwatches approved for Railroad Use
Railroad grade pocket watches remained the only watches approved for railroad service until the late 1950's when railroad grade wrist watches were developed that could maintain the same accuracy.
The "Trainmaster" with a Swiss made 21 jewel movement, introduced by Ball in 1959 and the "B.W. Raymond" with a 23 jewel American made movement, introduced by Elgin in 1960, were both high grade manual-wind wrist watches that were gradually approved for use on most American railroads. Ball later added a 25-jewel self-winding version of the watch.
SEIKO introduced wrist watches with a quartz movement in the early-1970's. The inherent accuracy and low cost of production has resulted in the proliferation of quartz clocks and watches since that time. Today railroad employees can still purchase SEIKO, Citizen, Pulsar and Invicta quartz wrist watches with railroad approved dials.
Today the use of radios, automatic block signals, and central computer tracking of trains has lessened the role of the railroad watch on many railroads, yet watch requirements still remain important to safe railroad operation.
Links to other sites for additional information:
Pocket Watch Database: - Serial number lookup and information for Hamilton, South Bend, Illinois, Rockford, Waltham & Elgin.
Today the use of radios, automatic block signals, and central computer tracking of trains has lessened the role of the railroad watch on many railroads, yet watch requirements still remain important to safe railroad operation.
Links to other sites for additional information:
Pocket Watch Database: - Serial number lookup and information for Hamilton, South Bend, Illinois, Rockford, Waltham & Elgin.
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