So This Is Christmas

Merry Christmas is such an infectious feeling I like to feel that way all year around.

So if you are visiting just before Christmas, just after Christmas or even here on Christmas day I am sure you will find something of interest for you and in the spirit of Christmas.

It may be said that Christmas is no longer a celebration but this must be spoken by people that have never had trouble closing their eyes on Christmas Eve in an expectation of what maybe left for them on the carpet under the tree.

I continue to look forward to the surprise on my Grandchild's faces to this day at Christmas events.

Merry Christmas - Merry Christmas - Merry Christmas

Thursday, August 1, 2013

The Story Behind Station Clocks

By Lela Perkins


Wind back time a few decades and train travel was more prevalent than today. The old saying that the railroads shrunk the country is quite true. Train journeys were scheduled against timetables. To keep the passengers aware of how much longer they could expect to wait for their train, station clocks were strategically sited.

Where these clocks were situated was very important. As this enabled the time to be seen from a variety of positions. To further assist in this matter many of these time pieces had multiple faces. These dials, would have a pale background, enabling the darker hands and figures to stand out in contrast, helping with legibility.

Above all else, these timepieces had to be accurate and reliable. All too often the public would set their own timepieces against these. At larger network terminals there used to be so many, that a person was employed solely to administer the maintenance and accuracy of them all.

People would also use them as landmarks, for instance if they were meeting someone at a strange place. Everyone could guarantee that these timepieces could be found at railroad depots, and that they could be easily seen from a distance. Think of the old-time black and white movies, and how noticeable any railroad time piece appears as the main characters arranged to meet beneath it.

Displaying the time was not only confined to the platforms. At bigger intersecting hubs, they would often have a clock-tower near to the depot. This would enable employees, and passengers, to keep track of time from even further afield. People soon began to live their lives by these chronometers.

These time keeping devices have lasted well and even today people will use them when passing on directions. Even though they are something that people have grown up with, they can be taken for granted. Yet people soon miss these familiar things when they are no longer there.

Even when they move away from the area, people often want to take a small piece of their memories with them. One way that people are managing this is by purchasing a reproduction railroad timepiece. There seem to be more and more designs becoming available.

Thought and attention have gone into the designs of these pieces. They can be used inside or outdoors. Normally they maintain their accuracy via a battery powered quartz movement. With their elegant designs they do add a certain panache to any area.

A common location for them is outside in the garden. Despite them being out in all weathers, due to the materials used they will not fade or corrode. After a few years they will still look as good as the day that they were placed in position.

A lot of designs can be read from either side as they have two faces. Which simplifies things within the garden environment. Another benefit is the size of the face, it is big enough to be read from distance. These reproduction station clocks now grace many a garden around the world, as people have taken some of their childhood memories with them.




About the Author:



No comments:

If You Are Unable To Be There But Want To Show You Love Them Then Send -