History of All Kinds
- Thread starter Bruette
- Start date
Greg@mnrr
Section Hand
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
Bruette
Well-Known Member
Your answer sounds good to me.
Bruette
Well-Known Member
"The 804-foot-long dirigible Hindenburg, the “Titanic of the Skies,” soars above the Bromo-Seltzer Tower (Baltimore, MD) on its way to Lakehurst (N.J.) Naval Air Station on August 11, 1936. Nine months later, it would explode at Lakehurst, killing 35 passengers and crew."
Irving Vnay
Irving Vnay
Iron Horseman
Well-Known Member
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.
this and the other ways that railroads changed the United States society and culture is documented in book called "Passage to Union" by Sarah Gordon. Find it on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Passage-Union-Railroads-Transformed-1829-1929/dp/1566632188/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=passage+to+union&qid=1598409859&s=books&sr=1-1
Last edited:
LOUIS - Very informative "stuff" you have been putting in this thread.
Good Work!
Good Work!
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)
Bruette
Well-Known Member
This is not the kind of history I prefer to discuss. In the world we are living in today I thought some background was needed.
I have not yet read this book, but it's on my list.
en.m.wikipedia.org
It's notable that Putin believes the collapse of the Soviet Union is the greatest tragedy of the 20th century and is an admirer of Stalin.
Through his lies, misinformation and other nefarious tactics he has many Russians believing the same.
I have not yet read this book, but it's on my list.
Soviet famine of 1930–1933 - Wikipedia
It's notable that Putin believes the collapse of the Soviet Union is the greatest tragedy of the 20th century and is an admirer of Stalin.
Through his lies, misinformation and other nefarious tactics he has many Russians believing the same.
Last edited:
I remember that location,..use to visit it when i first re-entered the hobby a number of years ago
How about this beer,...quite famous in my youth at Aberdeen Proving Ground.
And those Baltimore Colts
I did not know that !!
Thanks, LOUIS, looks like some good reading!
Keep in mind that Baltimore was the birthplace of American railroading, and had lots of steam engines in its history. That's fits in with my considerable interest in steam locomotives.
https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/balti...ht=baltimore+centenary+pageant&pid=1330943041
![[%2520ps600]](/forum/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fd28lcup14p4e72.cloudfront.net%2F259338%2F7369503%2F%252520ps600.jpg&hash=35f00faeb0f563de76480285cce91e8d "[%2520ps600]")
https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/balti...ht=baltimore+centenary+pageant&pid=1330943041
![[%2520ps600]](https://d28lcup14p4e72.cloudfront.net/259338/7369503/%2520ps600.jpg "[%2520ps600]")
