I've heard it said that Hamilton devoted over 50% of their Production Capacity to the Manufacture of Rail Road Grade and Rail Road Approved Pocket Watches throughout their years of business. Indeed, other companies like Illinois and Elgin and many others devoted much time also to their own production of Rail Road Watches.

Without the Rail Roads and Trains to operate and schedule, thus generating the "need" for superb timepieces capable of great accuracy and dependability, there would never have been the incentive to the Watch Manufacturing Industry to have produced these watches we so diligently pursue, procure, and treasure as Collectors of these particular watches along with their cousins made for everyone else in those days gone by.

Ogden, Utah, Home of one of the biggest Yards of the Union Pacific Rail Road in the Steam Era, once again will add to the earlier Rail Road History on May 4, 2014, when its "Big Boy" 4014 will make a two day stopover on its way to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and its scheduled Restoration and joining up with the Union Pacific Historical Fleet of Steam Locomotives, at Union Station in downtown Ogden.

How many of us will see this? How many of us will "time" this event with our "Swiss Made Replica Quartz Pocket Watch? Or, What Watch would you take to such a Function? Your Hamilton Railway Special, or maybe your 60 hour Bunn special, or perhaps, your Ball 998? Without these "Big Old Locomotives" we wouldn't have these Great Old Rail Road Watches, and I wouldn't have to make this speculation. Trains and Watches go together. Do you Collect Rail Road Watches? Which Ones and Why? Post a Picture of your Favorite here and tell us why. I hope May 4th is a Beautiful Day in Ogden, Utah!

Just down the freeway! Also, in Utah. Love collecting Illinois watches predominantly. Have Hamiltons, Elgins, and others. Especially enjoy the Bunn Specials and Sangamo Specials with all of their variations, particulary the 161 and 163 series!

I'm an Elgin man, myself. My main railroad 'carry' is an 18s 1912 23j Elgin Veritas model 214. Keeps time with the atomic clock.

To change things up, though, my Illinois Bunn Special and my Ball 999P get out quite often too.

Regards! Mark

I would take my Hampden 104 marked Special Railway in its Dueber case but I might want a Waltham Vanguard Lossier model indicator as they were well thought of by U.P. men.

Hello again. I started as an 18yo kid on the New Haven Railroad, Summer Help only I landed a water boy job for our production track gang. I had a five buck pocket watch I was proud of but the Guys laughed me off the tracks if I pulled it out.

Starting on the Penn Central in 1970 full time I bought my first Hamilton 992B 21jewel with the Mont Dial.

Ending my career in 2014 I was shocked at how many New Hires Did Not Own, their claim not mine, any watch at all. They had phones of course. That has changed a bit since the Federal Rail Administration came out with rules on when it is legal to have a cell phone near the tracks or on the property. I feel I was born at the best "time" cause I got to have pocket watches, see but not have to fix steam engines and learn to operate and own a computer that did not put me out of a Job!

A great thread. Take Care

Bill, congratulations on your retirement, 44 years is a long career.

36 & 9mos. as hoghead on the CNR for me.

Hello Bill:

It sounded like you had quite a career on the East Coast, I had 31 years service on the CPR, starting in 1965 when I hired on as an apprentice tinsmith in their Locomotive Shop at Ogden, after two years, I was laid off. I did some other things and went back in 1973 as a switchman in the Alyth yard at Calgary, after six months I transferred to Medicine Hat where I could hold the trainman's spare board, working the mainline between Medicine Hat to Calgary, and East to Swi Current, Saskatchewan, I worked a way freights for a year then transferred back to Calgary and wrote up for my Conductor/Yard Foreman ticket, I then worked as a relief Car Retarder Operator, and Yardmaster, an argument with the Gen. Yard Master brought me to another junction in my career. The Locomotive Engineers Training Program were starting another class I bid it in and started training in 1978, once qualified, it didn't take me long to hold a pool job, which I worked, along with road switcher's when I could hold them, my career was cut short in 2000 when I was paralyzed in an accident while on holidays on a tour bus in North Dakota, but I did have a great career, and I actually got to run and work on steam locomotives.

Larry