Nice watch Gary.

This is the "Santa Fe Route" trademark Henry S. Montgomery registered in 1896. He is the Montgomery dial H.S. Montgomery.

Patrick there is just no doubt about it, there's something for everybody to learn every day around here. Here is another of my favorite Waltham 1883's an Appleton Tracy & Co two-tone movement with a "Lehigh Valley Railroad" colored logo dial, it was one of several Class 1 railroads located in Northeastern United States built in the middle of the 19th century for the purpose of breaking the effective monopoly held on the Lehigh Valley by the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company by providing another means of transporting anthracite coal besides the Lehigh Canal. Headquartered in New York City, and it operated in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York between 1846-1976 and reached Buffalo New York. It was sometimes known as the "Route of the Black Diamond" the name of the line and express passenger train it ran connecting New York City and Buffalo New York.

Dial: Double sunk, Arabic numeral with A.W.W. Co. Waltham over seconds bit, and multicolored red flag with black diamond marked L.V. (Lehigh Valley.) on gold flag pole, circled by pale blue wreath with golden ribbon.

Movement: Full plate, two-tone, stem wind, lever set, open face, 17 jewels and gold settings, damaskeened, micrometric regulator, and patent Breguet hairspring, The movement is inscribed "7906318 Adjusted" on top plate, Manufactured 1896; "17 Jewels, Safety Pinion, Appleton Tracy & Co. Waltham, Mass." on barrel bridge; black film lettering.

Case: Dueber Coin Silver double hinged back and bezel

Postcard view of Lehigh Valley "Black Diamond Express" Train from 1898.

A revision November 29, 23rd.


I noticed the locomotive hauling the passenger train is a style of locomotive called a camelback, or Mother Hubbard, it is unique with its cab straddling the boiler, so the engineer worked from his cab on the right side, while a fireman worked behind the boiler exposed to the elements, the purpose of these locomotives was to be able to use wider Wootten fireboxes that were able to burn anthracite waste from the mines a cheap source of fuel, Lehigh Valley used them on their fleet of 0-6-0's with 33, 2-6-2's with 10, 4-6-2's with 8, and 2-8-2's 47, a total of 98 steam locomotives. As did many of the other railroads on the east coast where anthracite was abundant. There were safety issues about them as a locomotive engineer was standing over the connecting rods of the locomotive and was subject to injury if there was a mechanical failure in the running gear. they were outlawed in the 1920s.

Larry B. -- I could never get tired of seeing what you have and the information around it.

kh

Ken, if you like Larry's stories check out this thread: Waltham Model 1883 CPR pocket watch with AJ Cameron provenance

Hello Edward:

Yes the Lehigh Valley Railroad did some cool advertising, another Eastern carrier the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad that connected Buffalo, New York and Hoboken, New Jersey, around 1900 passenger travel was dirty from the black soot from burning soft bituminous coal, but the roads powered by anthracite could legitimately claim that the clothes of their passengers would remain clean after a long trip. For advertising this fact the company used a fictional heroine named Phoebe Snow, who traveled extensively to Buffalo, New York wearing a white dress with the following little ditty:

Says Phoebe Snow.
about to go.
on a trip to Buffalo
"My gown stays white.
From morn till night.
Upon the Road of Anthracite"

Referring to the hard clean hot burning coal that was free of ash and did not clinker up in the ash pans of their steam locomotives, . I have attached the 1906 postcard view of Phoebe Snow in her white dress wearing a violet corsage. The artwork was done by Henry Stacy Benton using a model named Mrs. Murray and she became one of the first models used in advertising.

I have a Waltham 18 size, 17 jewel, Model 1883, "Special Railroad King" in a Hunter case Serial No. 7712584, I will post some pictures next week when I get home from the hospital.

Another Phoebe Snow advertisement from 1900's

That's interesting about the coal ash & dirt issue meaning something to passengers. I know on a typical coal-burning passenger train the deluxe Pullman cars where the affluent passengers rode, were toward the end of the train, most likely for that reason.

It's also probably not a coincidence that the luxury coal-burning steamships of the day such as Cunard and the White Star Line burned anthracite coal as well.

I am home from the hospital and took some pictures of my Waltham 1883, Special Railroad King, here's a photo of the case back

Case back with multi-gold American 4-4-0 style steam locomotive

Fancy glass enamel dial inlaid with gold inlay marked "AMERICAN Waltham Watch Co. For R.R. Service" with American in capital letters the rest in script, some crazing to the glass, gilt Louis XIV hands.

dial close-up

Waltham, Grade 87 Manufactured 1896, Movement marked 17 Jewels, Adjusted in black lettering, and "SPECIAL RAILROAD KING" on the barrel bridge in gold lettering, with gilt screws and trim on the regulator.

Movement close-up

Crescent Watch Case Co. case trademark, all that glitters is not gold!

Hello Ed:

Could you please move this thread to the members photo galleries, where it will be easier to access, I had to go deep into the second page of the Pocket Watch thread to find it.

Larry

Done, Larry.

Some incredibly beautiful examples of Waltham's 83. I've gotta believe they did more pattern variations with this simple full-plate movement than any other company.

1906 1883, 17J, unadjusted, Grade 825 with fortune case. Pattern on movement much better than picture shows.

mmovement