Clock for Archives Room

[James Patten]

Bernie Perch has restored this clock and is donating it to the Archives Room.



I will let him tell us more about it.

[Jason M Lamontagne]

The current (revised) plan is that it'll go in the gift shop.

See ya
Jason

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

That will be a good fit since it's a mercantile clock from a store, bank or office.  Mercdantile clocks had a larger face to be seen in a commercial sized room plus many had the calendar feature (as this one does) to assist clerks in writing sales tickets and ledgers.  This is a very nice donation by Bernie that will be enjoyed by members and visitors alike.

[Bernie Perch]

The clock came from a hobby shop in Nanticoke that was damaged in a fire.  Most of the stock in the store was ruined and the finish on the clock was thoroughly fried.  The glass on the clock was smashed and gone.  I dismantled it, stripped it, stained it, and clear sprayed it.  We had some old glass around that I cut and painted.  The lettering was planned on a computer by a friend.  Fortunately the face must have been protected by the glass before it broke.  It was about five minutes from being totally destroyed.

It will be going from a retail rail hobby store to another retail rail hobby store. The clock was initially donated to me by Clem Ojevich of the Warrior Run Locomotive Works and with his approval, we are donating it to the WW&FRy.

Bernie

[Philip Marshall]

What a beautiful clock! Thank you, Bernie.

What was its history before it was in the hobby shop? Is it a genuine WW&F piece?

[Bernie Perch]

Phillip,

No, it is not from the original WW&FRy.  It probably spent most of its life in the Anthracite Coal Region of Pennsylvania.  Clem said it was in his family for the last 50 years, but that is all the history I could get out of him.  If the original glass survived, I would not have painted the railroad's name on it unless it was blank like another clock I have.

Bernie

[Philip Marshall]

Thanks.

[Steve Smith]

Thank you Bernie for this splendid gift!

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Philip,

Mercantile clocks of this type were made from the 1880's up to the WWI era so the clock represents the years when the W&Q/WW&F was a busy operation. This may be the type of clock that was in the Wiscasset depot.  The timepiece was the standard for the railroad that employees set their watches to. 

I'm looking forward to setting it up in the gift shop, it's a wonderful addition to the museum.

[Glenn Christensen]

Its a beautiful piece Bernie!

I look forward to seeing the next time I get up to the museum. 

Thanks you,
Glenn

[Keith Taylor]

It looks like a Sessions "H" Regulator clock. Gilbert also made similar calendar clocks.
What a wonderful addition to the atmosphere it will make.
Thanks Bernie!

Keith

[Bernie Perch]

Keith,

It is an Ingraham "Western Union" model. Tran Duy Ly's book illustrates it on page 122, with pictures of a 1901 model and a 1907 model.  It came in several configurations, with or without calendar and chimes in any combination, and several pendulum bob styles.  The lower glass could be plain or with several styles of decoration.  I believe the station at the Boothbay Railway Museum has a "Western Union" model next to the ticket window (at least many years ago when I was in the station).

Bernie

[Keith Taylor]

Hi Bernie;
I may have a different edition of the Calendar Clock book as the Western Union shows up on page 109 in my copy of the Tran Duy Ly book on Calendar Clocks. I sure wish we could buy a new calendar clock for $8.00! But considering that most folks made about twenty cents an hour back then....it was a major investment!
Again....great addition to the museum.

[Ira Schreiber]

Is the clock correct  more than once or twice a day?

[Wayne Laepple]

I thought I remembered that railroad clocks used Arabic numerals rather than Roman?......