•September 25, 2019•
By Jerry L. Ginther
NP Guest Columnist

What is the difference between the old and newer watches used by railroad workers? Being a former railroad employee from many years past, I happen to own an old “stem-winder,” a name applied to watches of that era, the movements of which were powered by a spring. A stem protruding from the top of the watch was used to wind the main spring, hence the name stem-winder. Subsequent to that era when all watches were powered by a main spring, a stem was still necessary to change or set the time on most watches, including those powered by battery.
So what were the significant differences between the old railroad watches and a pocket watch carried by other gentlemen? Here are a few. Railroad watches were required to comply with a standard set of rules pertaining to watches that were used in service by railroad employees. The rules required that my watch be inspected by a jeweler, designated by the company to be authorized and qualified to examine railroad watches, to determine their integrity and dependability.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.