It was late afternoon and Tim and his dad were talking about trains again
Tim had been a fan of trains ever since he was a little boy of about 4 or 5.
His dad (Peter) knew quite a lot about trains and he had a room at home
filled with his Hornby track and trains. Tim and his dad were in the living
room, looking out onto their back garden in Peckham.
Tim was asking his dad about station clocks. When were they first made
and who made them? Who makes them now? Can we buy one for the
Hornby Room?
Dad wasn't sure when the first railway clocks were made, but he knew that
some of them were made in Switzerland by a company called Mondaine.
For more than 100 years the Swiss Federal Railways were famous for their
punctuality and precision. The train station manager used a special red
signal to announce to passengers that the train was ready to leave. The
same special shape is used on the second hand of the Official Swiss
Railway Clock. Mondaine still make watches and clocks today in their
factory in Biberist,Switzerland. The company was founded in 1951 by
Erwin Bernheim, but today it is run by his sons Ronnie and André..
A quick look on the internet revealed that railway clocks are auctioned too
and that some of the original examples bring very high prices (but there are
fakes out there too!), but it's possible to buy a new Mondaine railway clock
today for around £120.Dad thought it would be a good idea to put one in
the Hornby Room, and because they have 2 faces it would be easy to tell
the time from either end of the room – just like when they were used on
station platforms!
Tim of course, wanted a railway clock straight away! He'd be able to
make sure the model trains left on time, just like a real railway, and he
could check if any were running late, due to bad weather!
Dad said there were other companies who made railway clocks, so perhaps
they should look at another place to buy the clock? It was nearly time for
tea and they were both hungry, but they decided to look for another railway
clock manufacturer. "Redwood Clocks" said dad – "they build you a clock
to your own design! It's not what we're looking for though" said dad,
"and anyway, they're based in China!"
"Time for tea I think…" said dad. Railway clocks can wait…..