Here is a photo from the Library of Congress of Railroad men having their watches inspected at the inspector's office in the Union Station.

Tom

Yeah, it's also posted in this thread, but yours shows more of the photo. Thanks!

https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/f...086047761/m/20810238

Regards! Mark

Thanks Mark, I knew someday I would start posting things other people had. Now looking at the photo in the link I realize I had seen it before.

Tom

Yeah, I would love to see what is in those glass display counters.

Tom

It was amazing just how hard nosed, or soft hearted inspectors could be. I was allowed to hang around as a teenager in our local inspector shop in Portsmouth back in the 60's, and their cases were full of Ball TrainMaster wristwatches. Times had changed by then, as their master clock as I recall was an electric clock slaved to Western Union. No big ticking regulator when I was there.

One inspector was a gruff of codger that just grunted everytime I wandered in....but he was the man who gave me my first railroad safety swivel for my chain at no charge. I guess he must have liked me a little....

Regards! Mark

Was the case like this Mark? I found a couple of these cases empty several years ago, they were salve clocks that Western Union used, I had hoped to find the clock mechanism someday but never have. This one set around empty for years & one day my wife bought a cheap <$10.00 battery operated clock & we stuck it in the case.

Tom

Here is a better shot of the tag.

It was housed in a square marked Western Union box, yes. That could very well be it!

It was back behind the bench and cases, and they didn't let you get too close to it, it being the master clock.

They were the official inspector for 3 railroads in the area, so they were pretty busy. Like I said, I'm surprised they put up with me during that time period.

It's funny how you can remember little details, but forget major ones...like the fact I remember clearly the prices on the Ball Train Master watches ($125 for leather strap, $150 for expandable metal band), and yet I don't recall the details of the master clock...just the fact it was Western Union and in a square box. Good grief.

Regards! Mark

I guess I should have put the size of my clock case, the diameter of the opening for the dial I think is 16 inches, the entire case is some where around 20"X20"

Tom

Yeah, it was pretty large. Those measurements sure sound good.

Regards! Mark

If you look in the case, way to the right it looks as if there's a row of Hamiltons in the cigarette cases all lined up. But that just be my wishful thinking.

In the summer of '65 and '66 I hung around Bern's at Union Station in Chicago. By that time they had relocated to a similar spot at the north west corridor of the depot towards the Clinton Street exit. That clock was there. I bought a Le Stag gold watch chain from them that I eventualy lost in a tragic head on wreck when I was on teh South Shore. In the '60s their display case featured Omega and Ball railroad wrist watches, and 1 gold Hamilton 992B, and 1 stainless 992B. They had stacks of Hamilton time books.

During the '70s when I was on the Milwaukee Road I purchased a Ball gold RR wrist watch and had my Hamiltons serviced there. One of the jewelers, complete with slicked back hair and a pencil line moustache looked as if he was rioght out of a 1938 movie. They were really nice people.