G'Day All,
I have been interested in Railroad Standard pocket watches for going on 10 years. It has recently occurred to me that I have not observed any articles on pocket watches used in British Railways. I GOOGLED British Railway watch useage and could not find any articles. Without speculating, I'm sure there must be a reason for this and would appreciate being schooled.
Thanks and stay safe.........Joe.....

I have an English pocket watch. It is 9 jewels. it is marked both on the dial and the movement
Thomas Wheeler Preston Railway Watch Manufacturer.
I spent 6 years in England. During that time i looked for railroad watches. I was informed that the English railroads did not require certified watches. They had no Inspectors. In all that time this is the only watch I found that refers to Railway. Is it a railroad watch who knows.

Thanks very much Harv. That likely explains alot.............Joe...........

The reason that precision pocket watches were necessary on American railroads and not necessary on British railroads is this: they had different methods of operation.

On American railroads, train were operated by timetable and train orders. The timetable dictated when a train had authority to occupy a particular section of track. Train orders were used to authorize train movements when a scheduled train fell behind schedule or extra unscheduled trains needed to run. Use of signals to control train movements was the exception rather than the rule prior to the 1880s. Freight trains generally operated until the 20th century as unscheduled extra trains and were expected to keep out of the way of scheduled passenger trains. This often meant that freight crews had to decide whether they could advance their train to the next station or siding before the scheduled passenger train arrived there. Often an incorrect estimation ended in tragedy. Train orders offered little protection as they could be (and occasionally were) overlooked, misunderstood or forgotten.

On British railroads, trains were operated based on signal indication, as trains were not permitted to enter a section of track until the signalman at each end of the section determined that the section was clear of other trains and agreed that the train could proceed. Signal boxes were linked by telegraph and had section indicators that would indicate to adjacent signal boxes when a train was on line and when the section was clear.

Another factor was that most main line track on American railroads was single track-trains operating in both directions had to share one line. Most British railroads main lines were double tracked, permitting trains to operate in either direction simultaneously.

Thanks Alan. I appreciate You picking up on this older thread, and taking the time to clearly explain some of the numerous factors involved in the early days of the industry on both sides of the ocean. As we know, it was a harsh enviroment, and I suspect that those who worked in the industry in its earliest days would be surprised we tend to romanticize it so much.

It still is a harsh, dangerous environment. I worked for the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee for nearly ten years. I was a jack of all trades-primary job was working as a trainman/conductor but also spent time working as a shop laborer and ticket clerk.

Unfortunately, yesterday I got the news that the TVRM shop foreman was killed in an accident at the museum's shops. He was a mentor to me and many other youth who wanted to get into railroading. He was a good man and is greatly missed by all of us who knew him.

One of the aspects that we drove out of new volunteers and employees during their orientation was the fact that we were a museum. I would tell new volunteers, "Forget that this is a museum. This is a working railroad and the equipment we work with will maim or kill you if you are inattentive. Your goal is to go home every day in the condition that you were in when you arrived this morning-alive and uninjured."

Amen...........Sad to hear that.......Joe......