Mount Royal Station Baltimore, MD - 1902
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Your answer sounds good to me.Why did so many of historic railroad stations have the tall clock towers? Was the purpose of the towers so that the arriving passengers could see the accurate time from a distance and know when to get ready to depart on their journey? I know the Milwaukee Road station in Milwaukee had a tower.
Greg
Before the railroads, each town had their own "time" set by sun dials and the like. The railroads came along and had to have the same time everywhere so they could run trains on a schedule. They developed time zones and "Railroad Standard Time". They synchronized time between all stations via telegraph, so their clocks were always accurate. The clock on stations and towers were as you guessed so anyone using the railroad would know what time it was. Remember in the late 1800s clear into the 1940s if it moved long distance it move by rail so freight schedules were just as important. The side effect was that the towns/cities started synchronizing their time to the railroads. It became a thing. We still use those time zones and "Standard Time" today. We just dropped the "Railroad" part of it officially in 1964.Why did so many of historic railroad stations have the tall clock towers? Was the purpose of the towers so that the arriving passengers could see the accurate time from a distance and know when to get ready to depart on their journey? I know the Milwaukee Road station in Milwaukee had a tower.
I remember a B&W movie with a scene in it, where an old lady lived in an apartment where the "El" passed right by a window. The whole place bumped up and down whenever one went by. Anyone know the name of the Movie? (and yes I can't remember)
How about this beer,...quite famous in my youth at Aberdeen Proving Ground.Bob, when I was the draft beer foreman at Memorial Stadium I had the chance to meet and chat with one of the few Brew Masters from Anheuser-Busch. I told him "no offense, but I prefer National beer". He smiled and said "I'll tell you a secret, there is only a few pennies difference per bottle in the cost of brewing any American Lager, they are all good"