Railroad Memorabilia & Collectibles

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Railroad Grade Pocket Watches

By the middle of the 19th century, American life and commerce had become increasingly dependent on railroads, and in the years following the Civil War the tracks became congested with train traffic. Trains needed to run on tight timetables so that all could share the available rails, and the need became evident to agree on a standard time. There were no time zones as we know them back then -- it was noon when the sun was high, which depends on your longitude. With rail lines spanning the North American continent, there were hundreds of definitions of "noon" spanning many hours, usually relying on the largest or most accurate clock in the area.

The railroad-grade pocket watch was developed to meet to make sure everyone operating the trains knew what time it was. To ensure that, the standards specified that a railroad grade pocket watch must contain a minimum number of jewels for bearings, pallets, and pins, must be lever set and have a lever type escapement with a safety wheel to ensure it would restart if stopped, must keep accurate time in several different positions and across a range of temperatures, regardless of how tightly the main spring was wound. Trainmen's pocket watches also had to be easily read in poor lighting, so they required a minimum size watch movement with Arabic numbers, a white dial, and contrasting spade hands.

Read more about railroad pocket watches, or browse the listings below to find one for your railroad memorabilia collection.

Subcategories:
Antique Railroad Pocket Watches Modern Pocket Watches	Other Pocket Watches Railroad Watch Parts & Tools

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10 items		Price	Shipping	Total	Time Left
Bid Now »	hamilton model 5 grade 992b 1948 pocket watch railroad special
	Details » Bid on This Item (4 bids) »	Bid: $168.50	Ships: Based on Zip	$168.50 Plus shipping	8 hrs 29 mins
	Item Condition: Pre-owned Item Location: Winter Haven, FL, USA ZIP 338 Shipping Type: Calculated Handling Time: 3 business days Returns Accepted Seller: avegspawn Feedback: 158 / 100%** Top-Rated Seller See other items for sale from avegspawn
Bid Now »	1898 Hampden SPECIAL RAILWAY Pocket Watch Railroad Grade 23 jewels AS IS TO FIX
	Details » Bid on This Item (0 bids) »	Bid: $270.00	Ships: Based on Zip	$270.00 Plus shipping	1 day 8 hrs 47 mins
	Item Condition: Pre-owned Item Location: Kennesaw, GA, USA ZIP 301 Shipping Type: Calculated Handling Time: 2 business days Seller: alpha10080 Feedback: 2,013 / 100%** Top-Rated Seller See other items for sale from alpha10080
Bid Now »	Vintage Caravelle Electronic Woman’s Watch Railroad Dial N4
	Details » Bid on This Item (0 bids) »	Bid: $24.99	Ships: $5.75	$30.74	1 day 11 hrs 27 mins
	Item Condition: Pre-owned Item Location: San Francisco, CA, USA ZIP 941 Shipping Type: Flat Rate Shipping Cost: $5.75 Handling Time: 3 business days Seller: chrisroe63 Feedback: 223 / 100%** Top-Rated Seller See other items for sale from chrisroe63
Bid Now »	192910K GF Hamilton Pocket Watch Railroad 992 16s 21j (Runs)
	Details » Bid on This Item (10 bids) »	Bid: $105.50	Ships: Based on Zip	$105.50 Plus shipping	3 days 13 hrs 1 min
	Item Condition: Pre-owned Item Location: Largo, FL, USA ZIP 337 Shipping Type: Calculated Handling Time: 1 business day Returns Accepted Seller: belleaircoins Feedback: 32,403 / 100%** Top-Rated Seller See other items for sale from belleaircoins
Bid Now »	Antique Elgin Open Face Pocket Watch Railroad Train Design Case Working
	Details » Bid on This Item (0 bids) »	Bid: $75.00	Ships: $8.00	$83.00	5 days 6 hrs 11 mins
	Item Condition: Pre-owned Item Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA ZIP 152 Shipping Type: Flat Rate Shipping Cost: $8.00 Handling Time: 2 business days Returns Accepted Seller: jammy-ben Feedback: 2,234 / 100%** See other items for sale from jammy-ben
Bid Now »	Waltham 17 Jewel Train Case Pocket Watch Railroad MISSING SECOND HAND
	Details » Bid on This Item (1 bid) »	Bid: $29.99	Ships: $5.95	$35.94	5 days 10 hrs 1 min
	Item Condition: Pre-owned Item Location: Arcanum, OH, USA ZIP 453** Shipping Type: Flat Rate Shipping Cost: $5.95 Handling Time: 3 business days Seller: bese5492 Feedback: 716 / 97% See other items for sale from bese5492
Bid Now »	ANTIQUE HAMPDEN WATCH CO. POCKET WATCH, RAILROAD
	Details » Bid on This Item (0 bids) »	Bid: $135.32	Ships: $14.37	$149.69	5 days 17 hrs 15 mins
	Item Condition: Seller refurbished Item Location: Fargo, ND, USA ZIP 581** Shipping Type: Flat Rate Shipping Cost: $14.37 Handling Time: 3 business days Seller: bitterbanter Feedback: 74 / 98.1% See other items for sale from bitterbanter
Bid Now »	ANTIQUE HAMPDEN WATCH CO. POCKET WATCH, RAILROAD
	Details » Bid on This Item (0 bids) »	Bid: $134.00	Ships: $17.99	$151.99	5 days 17 hrs 15 mins
	Item Condition: Seller refurbished Item Location: Fargo, ND, USA ZIP 581** Shipping Type: Flat Rate Shipping Cost: $17.99 Handling Time: 3 business days Seller: bitterbanter Feedback: 74 / 98.1% See other items for sale from bitterbanter
Bid Now »	Hamilton Pocket Watch Railroad Size 16 Grade 992B 21J 10K Gold Filled Adj 6 pos.
	Details » Bid on This Item (0 bids) »	Bid: $499.00	Ships: $34.95	$533.95	6 days 3 hrs 35 mins
	Item Condition: Pre-owned Item Location: Canada ZIP T2Z2S8 Shipping Type: Flat Rate Shipping Cost: $34.95 Handling Time: 1 business day Seller: rokas Feedback: 7,590 / 100% See other items for sale from rokas
Bid Now »	Vintage Illinois Pocket Watch Railroad 3oz Coin Silver Grade 5 15j 18s 57mm 1888
	Details » Bid on This Item (0 bids) »	Bid: $135.00	Ships: $9.50	$144.50	6 days 10 hrs 40 mins
	Item Condition: Pre-owned Item Location: Lititz, PA, USA ZIP 175** Shipping Type: Flat Rate Shipping Cost: $9.50 Handling Time: 1 business day Returns Accepted Seller: watchesbydan Feedback: 12,993 / 99.8% Top-Rated Seller See other items for sale from watchesbydan