The efficiency and safety of railroads depend on choreography and precise timing of train movement. Two trains should never be at the same position on a track at the same time; although they may be scheduled to be at the same position on a track minutes apart. Since pendulum escapement clocks are not capable of keeping accurate time on a moving vehicle; the timing of trains’ movements in the 19th century depended on the accuracy of lever escapement pocket watches.

After the tragic head-on crash of two Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway trains on April 19, 1891, in Ohio; pocket watches used by railroad employees to control the timed movements of trains became subject to new, strict regulation.  The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway enlisted the well-known Cleveland jeweler Web C. Ball to develop a railway time keeping program and standards. These regulations have been updated and modified regularly throughout the years that mechanical pocket watches were the predominant means of controlling the timing of the movements of trains.

In 1893 a Railroad Grade Pocket Watch was required to meet the following minimum standards:

The pocket watch must be either 18-size or 16-size.

The pocket watch must have a minimum of 17 jewels.

The pocket watch must be adjusted to a minimum of five positions.

The pocket watch must keep accurate time plus or minus 30 seconds per week.

The pocket watch must be adjusted to temperature 40 degrees to 95 degrees.

The pocket watch must have a double roller.

The pocket watch must be lever-set.

The pocket watch winding stem must be located at the 12:00 o’clock position.

The pocket watch must have a plain Arabic dial with heavy hands.

Seth Thomas produced a limited number of high-grade pocket watches that met the standards of the Railroad Safety Board.  Seth Thomas produced three hundred 18-size Model 3 private label “Railway Queen” railroad grade pocket watches for the Webb C. Ball Watch Company of Cleveland in 1890. [*42] Among other railroad grade pocket watches manufactured by Seth Thomas were the Maiden Lane named grade pocket watches, the Model 5 marked grade 260 pocket watches, and the Model 5 marked grade 382 pocket watches, as shown below in the 1913 No. 701 Seth Thomas Watch Movements—Centennial Edition Trade Price List.