Railroad time

[NW Mailing List]

In a message dated 11/27/2011 8:53:35 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org writes:

Blair  Miller

Clocks showing standard time were listed in the timetable.   Beginning at 
two minutes
   before noon in the eastern time zone,  (11:00  AM in the central zone), 
the National
   Observatory would send a series of dashes by telegraph -- "  dash - dash 
- dash" which
   culminated with one long dash exactly at 12:00 N   EST    (or 11:00 AM 
CST)
   If the operator was using the telegraph at the time, he  was pre-empted. 
 At the
   stroke of the extended dash, the operator would adjust the  standard 
clock, in more
   modern times by pressing a button.  Train and  engine crews, M/W 
personnel,
   and others not having access to a standard clock were required  to 
obtain standard time
   from the dispatcher every day.
 
    An interesting note -- crews on the Fostoria District  (Bellevue-Fort 
Wayne) had the
    standard railroad watch, but with two hour hands  -- because they 
operated across
    two time  zones.                                      Harry Bundy
   
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