Railroad Watch
date: label: date made
content: ca 1869
name: label: manufacturer
content: Elgin National Watch Co.
notes: label: Description
content: Railroad managers learned that to have their lines run on time, they needed to issue accurate timepieces to their employees. This watch was made in 1869 by Elgin National Watch Company, Elgin, Ill., under contract to the Pennsylvania Railroad. Outside case back is engraved "449," the number of the locomotive on which the watch was used. The "449" was a Baldwin 10-wheeler delivered to the railroad in July 1869.
label: Description
content: The watch is an 18-size, 15-jewel key-wind movement in silver case. Movement marked: "B.W. Raymond / Patent Pinion / No. 69170 / Elgin, Ills." The B. W. Raymond model was named for Elgin’s first president, who also had been mayor of Chicago twice and president of the Elgin and State Line Railroad Co. Inside of dust cap marked: "7431." Inside of case back stamped: "J. R. Reed & Co. / Pitts / Coin / 7431." Dial reads: "PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD CO." Its steel winding key survives.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Mechanisms
label: See more items in
content: Measuring & Mapping
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1982.0517.01
label: accession number
content: 1982.0517
label: catalog number
content: 1982.0517.01
label: serial number
content: 69170
objectType: label: Object Name
content: watch
label: Other Terms
content: watch; Mechanical, Spring-Driven; Pocket Watch
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: silver (watch case material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 3 in x 2 1/8 in x 5/8 in; 7.62 cm x 5.3975 cm x 1.5875 cm
label: Measurements
content: face: 4.5974 cm; 1 13/16 in
label: Measurements
content: overall, key: 1 1/4 in x 3/8 in x 1/8 in; 3.175 cm x .9525 cm x .3175 cm