T he Railroaders Corner

Transcription

1 T he Railroaders Corner by Ed Ueberall and Kent Singer A forum for the discussion of railroad pocket watches. Illustrations by the authors, except as noted. WIND INDICATORS, PART 1: ELGIN Introduction Throughout their history, watches made for railroad service did not include many complications. Chronographs, repeaters, and hacking mechanisms were discouraged, if not forbidden outright. Even extra markings on the dial, such as marginal minutes, were frowned upon by some General Time Inspectors. The one exception was the introduction of the wind indicator, also known as an up and down, or in later years, a power reserve indicator. Watches incorporating this feature had a small dial, located at the 12 o clock position, with a pointer that indicated the number of hours until the watch would be fully wound down, and would therefore stop. Since trains traveled through many areas where getting the accurate time quickly was not possible and where trains ran on tight schedules in both directions, losing one s time could be a serious problem with possibly fatal consequences. Although railroaders, like most people, wound their watches at about the same time every day, emergencies, fatigue, or other factors could contribute to a watch not being wound. The wind indicator provided an immediate reminder if this occurred. Three of the manufacturers who supplied watches for railroad service, or four, if a handful of Ball wind indicator watches are included, offered wind indicator watches either as separate grades, or as an optional addition to their existing grades. Part 1 will look at the watches Elgin offered with the wind indicator as an option. Part 2, in a later issue, will cover other American manufacturers who also sold wind indicator watches as part of their product line. A Note About Dates As was discussed in our April 2005 column on Elgin s Veritas model, we feel that the dates shown in the published serial number vs. date lists, and on the well-known Elgin website ( org), are in error when applied to Elgin s higher grade watches. Those dates seem to be almost two years, early around 1901, (when Elgin introduced its Veritas model) and five to seven years early by the time the U.S. entered World War I (when six different Veritas model watches were cataloged by distributors). Thus the dates discussed below, especially for 18-size watches, are estimates based upon movement availability in distributor catalogs. COURTESY/TOM SEYMOUR Correspondence with Ed Ueberall and Kent Singer may be directed to stdwatch@aol.com and k_singer@knology.net, respectively, or sent to the Publications Dept. (see inside front cover). Availability In a 1914 letter, Elgin stated their ability to supply wind indicator (WI) movements to the general public, 1 see Figure 1. Unlike one of their competitors, Rockford, in the beginning Elgin did not make entire runs of wind indicators. They were available, as an option, on any of Elgin s appropriate grades in either 16- or 18- size. For this reason, the earliest wind indicators do Figure 1. This letter from Elgin, which accompanied watch brochures, was directed to railroad men. It featured the availability of wind indicators on new Elgin movements and recommended going to the employee s local watch inspector for additional information. 484 NAWCC BULLETIN August 2005

2 Figure 3, left. The dial on S/N 16,602,080 was among the plainest 18-size that Elgin offered. It is single sunk without any extra numbering. As with all of the 18S WI dials, the name Elgin appears between the center post and the seconds bit. Figure 2. The grade No. 214, S/N 16,602,080, was the top of the line for Elgin. It featured diamond balance endstones with gold balance screws, jewel settings and a gold train. Note the winding indicator gear, engaged to the main wheel (see text), near the left end of the regulator scale. not appear in consecutive batches of serial numbers, but are scattered across multiple runs. To the authors knowledge, there are no existing records that summarize the number of wind indicators made in each grade, nor the amount made in total. However, based on the serial numbers of reported wind indicator watches in the authors database, in later runs, starting about number 14,814,601 (about ), wind indicators often begin appearing in clusters within larger runs of a given grade. These clusters appear to cover 100 movement segments within the larger total runs of 1,000 or more. In addition to the watches that originally left the factory fitted with the wind indicator option, there are indications that Elgin would retrofit the wind indicator to previously sold movements at the owner s request (and expense). This would explain the existence of wind indicator movements that predate the introduction of new factorymade wind indicator movements. There may have been other movements that were modified post-production, by individuals, utilizing the Elgin factory-made indicator parts and dials. This may have been done anytime over the last 90 years. 18-Size Grades All of the 18-size Elgin wind indicators were made as either Model 8, open face (the Veritas model), or Model 9, hunting. These are the three-quarter-plate models. Elgin never offered a full plate wind indicator. All of Elgin s 18-size winding indicator watches have a small, visible gear, engaged to the crown wheel (the smaller of the two winding wheels - referred to in Elgin literature as the main wheel), located at the edge of the barrel bridge closest to the left end of the regulator scale. This is the wheel that runs the indicator. It can be seen in Figures 2, 4, 6, and 8. Grade No This was the only 18-size, 23-jewel movement made by Elgin. All are marked either Figure 4, left. The grade No. 367, S/N 21,869,427, also features a motor barrel, but running in metal bushings. Both the pallet and escape arbors are cap jeweled. The absence of both a regulator and the regulator scale shows that this is a free-sprung movement. Figure 5, below. The dial on grade No. 367, Figure 4, while also single sunk, is far busier in appearance, as it is a marginal minute dial that also has the inner 13 through 24 hour numerals often found on watches used in Canadian service. Note the 18 hour numeral within the seconds bit. It is tempting to call this a Montgomery dial, but it is not clear if Montgomery ever defined a dial with hour figures. August 2005 NAWCC BULLETIN 485

3 Figure 6, far left. This grade No. 390, S/N 15,900,332, is engraved B. W. Raymond on the top plate, and has the balance running on diamond endstones. Figure 7, left. The dial on S/N 15,900,332 sports a R5MT, as well as the addition of hour numerals 13 through 24. Veritas, or much less commonly, Elgin Nat l Watch Co. See Figures 2 and 3. Grade No Only one example of this grade, a 21-jewel Veritas, exists in our database with a wind indicator. From its 8,575,745 serial number, the actual manufacture date of 1901 would indicate that it was almost certainly fitted with its wind indicator long after it originally left the factory. Grade No This is a 19-jewel movement, marked B. W. Raymond. It s the most common of Elgin s 18-size wind indicator watches, no doubt because the grade No. 240 B. W. Raymond makes up almost half of all 18-size, three-quarter-plate movements produced. Grade No This 21-jewel Veritas was one of the very few hunting-case movements made with a winding indicator. Grade No All of these three-quarter-plate movements are marked Father Time. Some examples are free sprung and are most likely the torpedo boat Navy watches mentioned in the Elgin letter, Figure 1. The free-sprung movements used a different balance wheel, with the cuts in the bimetallic arms positioned about 45 degrees away from the balance arms. Examples with the normal Elgin regulator have the cut in the normal position, close to the balance arms. See Figures 4 and 5. Grade No This is a 17-jewel hunting-case movement marked G. M. Wheeler. Its manufacture date of 1908 and lack of five-position adjustment make it doubtful that it would have been accepted for railroad service. Grade No These movements contain 17-jewels and are all marked B. W. Raymond. Grade No This 21-jewel grade was made only in the teens, with examples marked B. W. Raymond, Father Time, or 349. See Figures 6, 7, and 8. Grade No This 21-jewel movement, made between 1910 and 1911, was adjusted to only three positions, so it was unlikely to have been accepted for railroad service. Names on the movements were Father Time or Elgin Nat l Watch Co. Some were free sprung. 16-Size Grades By the time the 16-size higher grades started overtaking the sales of 18-size watches, about 1909, hunting-case movements were usually no longer accepted into railroad service. As a result, all of the 16-size wind indicators sold by Elgin were of open face configuration. It is possible that a hunting movement could have been factory upgraded with an indicator at the owner s request, but no examples have been seen by the authors. Although most Elgin factory runs were for at least 1,000 of any given grade, often all the wind indicators Figure 8. This grade No. 390, S/N 15,644,036, carries the Father Time name on the top plate along with the diamond endstones. Except for slight differences in the damaskeening and decoration of the winding wheels, both grade No. 390s are otherwise identical. It is fitted with a dial identical to that in Figure NAWCC BULLETIN August 2005

4 COURTESY/CATHERWOOD LIBRARY Figure 9, left. This May 1923 ad appearing in The Railroad Telegrapher, touted the addition of a wind indicator as...a dependable safeguard against running down. The same ad and similar ads, for both the 21J Father Time and 23J Veritas, appeared in a variety of brotherhood journals during Note that this particular ad shows an oval bow on the case. Figure 10, above. This excerpt from a similar ad in the May 1923 issue of the Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen s Magazine depicts a 23J Veritas in an antique bow (also referred to as a French bow) case. Other nearly alike ads show the 21J Father Time grade in an antique bow case as well. were concentrated within subgroups of 100 numbers within the overall run. The watches in these subgroups were all fitted with wind indicators; no movements without the feature are intermixed with them. There are also early movements that do not fall into a subgroup. These may have been factory retrofits, done at some time after the watch was first sold. Elgin did do some advertising of their wind indicators during the 1920s. In the ads shown in Figures 9 and 10, the winding indicator option added $5.00 to the cost of the movement. 2 This was a more than a 33 percent reduction of the $7.80 cost shown in a 1917 distributor catalog. 3 Considering the premium prices that wind indicators command today, that was quite a bargain. Figure 11, left. This 19J grade No. 372, S/N 17,698,872, is engraved with the B. W. Raymond name and has the jeweled motor barrel. The plate layout is very similar to the 18S movements. Note that the only evidence of a winding indicator is the small hole in the barrel bridge above the ratchet wheel, below the first few digits of the serial number. Figure 12, left. The dial on S/N 17,698,872 also resembles those on the 18S movements. All Elgin wind indicator dials used a fully circular sink for the wind function. August 2005 NAWCC BULLETIN 487

5 Unlike Elgin s 18-size watch design, the wind indicator gear for the 16- size models is located in between the plates. The only visible evidence of a winding indicator, when opening the case back and looking at the movement, is a small hole in the barrel bridge between the ratchet wheel (the larger of the two winding wheels), and the first few digits of the serial number. It supports an arbor for the winding indicator mechanism. Grade No This was the earlier 19-jewel movement that utilized the jeweled motor barrel rather than cap jewels on the escape arbor. See Figures 11 and 12. Grade No Similar in design to the grade No. 372, this 21-jewel movement carried cap jewels on both the escape and pallet arbors and had a motor barrel running in metal bearings. All examples are marked Veritas. Grade No The first of the 16-size, wind indicator movements made with 23 jewels. The earlier 16-size, 23-jewel grade No. 350 was never fitted with a wind indicator. The grade No. 376 had diamond endstones, cap jewels on the escape and pallet arbors, as well as the jeweled motor barrel. Grade No The only difference between this 21-jewel movement and grade No. 374 are the grade names Elgin used. This grade was made in both Father Time and B. W. Raymond versions. Grade No This successor to grade No. 376 is no longer fitted with diamond endstones, but does have a gold decorative rim around the top balance stones. Table 1 Elgin Wind Indicator (WI) Movements* Grade Jewels Size Adj. HC/ Start End No. Mvt. Names~ No. OF Prod. Prod. Ex.^ Pos OF Veritas, ENWCo Pos OF Veritas Pos OF BWR Pos HC Veritas Pos OF FT 368Φ Adj HC GMW Pos OF BWR Pos OF BWR, FT 412Φ Pos OF ENWCo Pos OF BWR Pos OF FT Pos OF Veritas Pos OF BWR, FT Pos OF Veritas Pos OF FT Pos OF BWR Pos OF BWR Pos OF BWR Pos OF BWR /6 Pos OF BWR 544Φ 21/ Pos OF BWR 581Φ 21/ Pos OF BWR Notes: * Based on information in the authors database, on Wayne Schlitt s Elgin Watch Collectors website ( and in the S/N vs. Grade table in Elgin Watch Company - Identification and Price Guide by Roy Ehrhardt (Kansas City, MO: Heart of America Press, 1976). Please note that many dates are only approximate, especially the End Prod. dates, some of which we feel are as much as 5-7 years later than those shown in published serial number vs. dates lists. Also, the Start Prod dates are those of the basic movements, not when the wind indicators were applied to the movements. ^ No. Ex. are the number of examples in the authors database. ~ Mvt. Names are the actual names marked on the movements. BWR B. W. Raymond FT Father Time GMW G. M. Wheeler ENWCo. Elgin Nat l Watch Co. Although some grade No. 214 movements are known to be marked Elgin Nat l Watch Co., all WI examples in the authors database are marked Veritas. Φ Not Railroad Grade. Grade No This 21-jewel grade, while continuing the cap-jeweled arbors on both the escape and pallet arbors found on earlier grade Nos. 374 and 391, replaced the motor barrel with a going barrel. 488 NAWCC BULLETIN August 2005

6 Figure 13, far left. The 21J grade No. 391 also incorporates a motor barrel, but it runs in metal bearings. S/N 16,214,291 is engraved B. W. Raymond. Figure 14, left. A marginal minute dial graces S/N 16,214,291. Although it has a R5MT of slightly larger figures, the lack of the 6 hour figure inside the seconds bit differentiates it from a true Montgomery dial. Figure 15, left. The grade No. 453 was the replacement 23J movement made with the wind indicator after grade No. 376 was discontinued in This example is S/N 24,217,791 and was made in Figure 16, right. A plain, easy to read dial sets off S/N 24,217,791 in its factory case. It s marked ELGIN RR on the pendant, just below the crown. The setting lever can be seen in its normal 6-minute position, where it is found on all 16S Elgin LS wind indicators. Figure 17, below. Grade No. 454 Father Time S/N 24,794,276 is the 21J contemporary of the Grade 453 shown in Figure 15, but note the 21-jewel movements now use a going barrel rather than the earlier motor barrel. Grade No This 19-jewel movement dropped the jeweled motor barrel found on earlier grade No. 372, and replaced it with cap jewels over the escape wheel arbor. Grade No This later model 21-jewel indicator utilizes the whip spring-style regulator. The plain parallel bar damaskeening is typical of later production. This grade is identical to grade No. 478, except for the use of an Invar balance. The term Invar balance was shown only on the dial, the movement plates were not marked. Grade No A twin to grade No. 472, and initially produced during the same time frame, this grade used a balance made from conventional materials. Grade No The last of the 23-jewel grades made with the wind indicator, the micrometer regulator had evolved into a whip spring, and the fancy damaskeening was gone, replaced with a straight bar pattern of much simpler design, reflecting the harsh realities of the Great Depression. Grade No The final 21-jewel wind indicator put into general production, examples were made showing adjustments to both 5 and 6 positions. Typical of Elgin production during this period, the movements used a whip spring style regulator and had plain parallel bar damaskeening. Most of the last grade No. 506 run, S/N 34,574,001-34,575,000, were pendant set, con- August 2005 NAWCC BULLETIN 489

7 Figure 19, right. B. W. Raymond S/N 28,965,360 is a 21J grade No. 472 made in After 1922, the B. W. Raymond was Elgin s only railroad grade and all wind indicators were so marked. Figure 18. Elgin s 19J movement made from 1917 to 1921 was grade No. 455, S/N 23,215,567. As with grade No. 454, the earlier motor barrel is gone, replaced with cap jewels of the escape wheel pivots. tained 22 jewels with a sweep-second hand, and had a hacking feature. Also, some used 24-hour gearing. These were made for military use and would not have been accepted for railroad service. Grade No Made as a single run of 200 movements, all examples seen by the authors have the wind indicator mechanism, are pendant set with a hack feature, and use a center-sweep second hand. Since these were pendant set, they, like the military grade Nos. 506 and 581 movements, would not have been acceptable to be used in railroad time service. Grade No Produced exclusively for military use, these 22-jewel movements were similar to grade No. 544 above. The authors database shows only one example incorporating the wind indicator function, so the listing could be in error, or the indicator function could have been added later. Figure 20. The dial on S/N 28,965,360 gives the only written indication, in the seconds bit, that grade No. 472 is fitted with an Invar Balance. On this example with the boxcar style numerals and the larger than normal seconds bit, the location of Elgin has been moved to a position above the center post. Figure 21, left. S/N 34,766,306 is a grade No. 494, the last of the 16S, 23J WI movements. Although it still has a jeweled motor barrel, the micrometer regulator is now a whip spring type. Figure 22, right. S/N 34,766,306 has a true Montgomery dial and the heavier hands that accompanied the later movements. 490 NAWCC BULLETIN August 2005

8 Figure 23, left. Even though most Elgin winding indicator advertising was aimed at railroaders, the company ran a series of ads in the general press, such as this example from the era. It was placed in National Geographic magazine. Summary Elgin applied wind indicators to a variety of railroad standard watches, and a few others, in both 18- and 16- size. These wind indicators were available over a 30-year period, from about 1912 to about In a future column, wind indicators furnished by Waltham and Rockford will be discussed. Acknowledgments We are deeply indebted to those listed below for selflessly furnishing pictures and other material used in this column. The NAWCC Library & Research Center staff; Catherwood Library at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; Louis Russo, Bornheim, Germany; and Tom Seymour, Dearborn, MI. COURTESY/LOUIS RUSSO Notes 1. Letter from Elgin National Watch Co., dated 4/17/ A Word of Acknowledgement to the Railroad Man, Elgin ad, The Railroad Trainmen (September 1923): p The Great American Jewelry Catalog, Oskamp-Nolting Co. Cincinnati, OH, 1917, pg. 3E. Online at The Elgin Watch Collectors website ( Figure 24, left. Grade No. 506 is the only Elgin WI grade that had some later examples marked Adjusted To 6 Positions. S/N 33,814,910, shown here, has the more common 5-position adjustment. Figure 25, right. The dial for S/N 33,814,910. Note the location of Elgin above the center post. Also note the star symbol near the top of the seconds bit, invoking Elgin s Timed to the Stars advertising theme. August 2005 NAWCC BULLETIN 491

9 UPDATES FROM THE MEMBERS A Veritas Grade Beauty Our recent columns about Elgin s 18-size Veritas model watches have sparked some interest in the Veritas grade movements. We received pictures of a 16-size, 23-jewel Veritas grade No. 453, an Elgin model 15 that is truly impressive. Its single-sunk marginal minute dial is a true Montgomery dial, having the hour figure 6 in the seconds bit. Even better, it has a red and black Burlington Route herald (the herald of the Chicago, Quincy and Burlington Railroad Co.) on the top part of the dial. An experienced collector can tell at a glance that the dial is the real thing, and not just a decal, by the Elgin name located immediately above the center post, making room for the herald. Although it s an obvious recase (we didn t show that it has lever slots at both the 6 and 56 minute positions), and the general appearance suggests a recently done engraving job, the design of the back of the case is enough to set most railroad watch collectors hearts pumping faster. Another 23-Jewel Veritas Probably due to the February BULLETIN just having come out containing the column about Elgin s 18-size, three-quarter-plate design Veritas model, an interesting watch showed up at Atlanta Chapter 24 s February meeting. It was a 23-jewel Veritas, S/N 8,400,642, that came from the first run of the No. 214 grade. This new grade of a new model movement was at the top of Elgin s line of 18-size watches, and stayed there for COURTESY/ANONYMOUS Figure A. Elgin S/N 23,141,626 is a grade No. 453 Veritas, 16S, 23J, watch, adjusted to five positions. That by itself is nice enough, but it s only the beginning of the story. over 15 years. That fact nothwithstanding, there s little to make it noteworthy, except, as its owner, William Meinert, pointed out, it has one of those really nice private-label dials. The double sunk, Arabic dial, bearing a red 5-minute track and an inner ring of hour figures is signed Arch D M. M c Dougall, Winnipeg. We don t know if Mr. McDougall was a railway watch inspector, but his name sure goes nicely with the Canadian-style dial. COURTESY/ANONYMOUS (2) Figure B. The red and black Burlington Route herald is original on this dial as indicated by the location of the Elgin name just above the center post. The 6 hour figure in the seconds bit and the slightly larger, red 5-minute numbers mark this as a true Montgomery dial. COURTESY/WILLIAM MEINERT Figure C, above left. The engraving on the Keystone J. Boss, Mainliner style case that houses Elgin S/N 23,141,626 depicts a steam locomotive. Despite the fact that its appearance suggests that the engraving was recently done, it truly sets the tone for the watch. Figure D, above right. Elgin S/N 8,400,642 is an 18S, 23J Veritas from the first run of the new No. 214 grade. Close inspection confirms the marking Adjusted in its usual location, in an arc across the balance cock. 492 NAWCC BULLETIN August 2005

10 Love Those Canadian Dials While we re on the subject of Canadian watches bearing private label dials, Desmond Lundy contributed pictures of an uncommon railway grade watch. It s a 16-size, 19-jewel, Omega L s. Brandt & Frere SA model, grade CCR, lever-set, hunting movement, serial number 2,516,629, that s adjusted to five positions. There s a theory that Omega created the L s. Brandt & Frere SA labeled movements to be able to market railroad-grade watches through the Canadian railway watch inspectors, many of whom were probably outside of Omega s normal dealer network. It s noted that in the U.S., the same grade of watches were labeled Omega and marketed under the Omega name. We have no proof one way or the other. As our regular readers might expect, COURTESY/WILLIAM MEINERT Figure E, left. S/N 8,400,642 is fitted with a DS, AN R5MT Canadian dial, signed Arch D M. M c Dougall, Winnipeg. Figure F, right. There s no doubt that this is a Canadian dial. Mounted on L s. Brandt & Frere SA, S/N 2,516,629, it s labeled A.F. McMillan - The Diamond Specialist - Vancouver, B.C. COURTESY/DESMOND LUNDY (2) Figure G. L s. Brandt & Frere SA S/N 2,516,629 is a 16S, 19J, LS, HC movement, Omega grade CCR, Adjusted To 5 Positions. In 1915, HC watches seemed to have been accepted for railroad time service, see Figure H. we would be pleased to hear about, or receive copies or scans of any documentation that supports, or refutes the theory. Figure H. F. W. Ellis & Co. Ltd, Toronto, Ontario, published the specifications of four grades of Omega s L s. Brandt & Frere SA line of watches in Noting that all four grades were available in OF or HC models, and in 16S or 18S, the firm stated that the watches were... accepted on all the Canadian Railroads. COURTESY/PAUL FILLION August 2005 NAWCC BULLETIN 493

11 COURTESY/LUCA DICECCO (2) Figure I. 16-size Columbus S/N 368,420 is marked Adjusted and has a circular gold band encompassing the snowflake damaskeening pattern, identifying it as a grade No. 12. Although it s doubtful that a hunting-case watch would have been allowed to enter service in the teens, which is when these watches seemed to be on the market, we call attention to a Tornato distributor s 1915 ad claiming just that fact, see Figure H. Whether or not it would have been accepted into service, its double sunk, Roman numeral, dial, signed A.F. McMillan - The Diamond Specialist - Vancouver, B.C. and bearing an inner ring of hour figures, makes it all the more interesting. A 16-Size Columbus Luca DiCecco provided us with pictures of a nice 16- size Columbus watch, S/N 368,420. The snowflake pattern in the gold-on-nickel damaskeening, along with states that the grade No. 12 is adjusted to temperature, Figure J. Page 13 of a New Columbus 1895 price list its 17 jewels and Adjusted marking, identify the positions, and isochronism. This watch would have movement as grade No. 12. a Since neither the movement, nor the dial, are signed New Columbus, the watches. been accepted on any railroad that allowed 16-size movement may just predate the New Columbus name, and was possibly built in 1894 or We re not clear if the New Columbus marking was immediately applied to all movements or not, so the possibility exists that the watch was built a little later. The first of the 21-jewel watches marketed for railroad use were just starting to appear, making this a point in time when the 17- jewel watch, adjusted to temperature and position, was among the best of watches being used in railroad time service. Columbus catalog description of its No. 12 shows that S/N 368,420 makes the grade. Note a. Price List of Movements Manufactured by The New Columbus Watch Company, New Columbus Watch Co., Columbus, OH, August 1, 1895, pg. 13. Figure K, right. S/N 368,420 has a DS, AN, R5MT dial and is leverset. What more could an 1890s railroader want? COURTESY/COOKSEY SHUGART 494 NAWCC BULLETIN August 2005