This book is the first detailed study of the mechanical clocks used by the railway companies of England, Scotland and Wales. An introductory chapter describes how the demands of the railways brought about Greenwich Mean Time to replace local time, and how this was transmitted to stations and signal boxes throughout the country. There is much information on the clocks used on the railways, who made and supplied them, and how they were maintained. The development of the clock repair workshops of the Great Western Railway at Reading, and those of other companies, is described, along with period photographs of maintenance work in progress. Separate chapters discuss in detail the clocks owned by each of the 'Big Four' railway companies, formed in 1923, and their constituents, with numerous illustrations to show both typical timepieces as well as rare examples. The clock numbering schemes used by the various companies are explained, with illustrations of the different types of number plates and other means of identification, as well as tables of known numbers and locations. This information will enable the collector to feel confident when buying a clock, and help distinguish a fake from the genuine article.
There is information on the disposal of railway clocks through Collectors Corner and other retail outlets, as well as the censuses of railway clocks taken after Nationalisation. Appendices include details of those known to have made and supplied railway clocks; clock contracts on the Southern Railway, the Midland Railway, and the Isle of Wight; the clock registers of the L&NER; an inventory of the hundreds of clocks at Liverpool Street Station, London; clocks at the L&NER's hotels and at the GWR's Swindon Works; an analysis of the clocks of the Southern Railway; as well as extensive extracts from the records of Thwaites & Reed relating to railway clocks.
This book is based on detailed original research on the clocks themselves, their makers and suppliers, much of it published for the first time. There are over 750 illustrations of railway clocks, as well as archive illustrations of clocks in their working environment and also of important documents. It will be of interest not only collectors of railway clocks, but also those interested in fusee clocks of all types.
Ian Lyman joined British Railways in the days of steam and became Assistant Controller under the auspices of the Rugby Control Office, but based at Roade Junction signal box.
After closure of the signal boxes on the West Coast Main Line, due to the introduction of multiple-aspect colour-light signalling, he went 'on the relief' in an area bounded by Coventry, Nuneaton and Bletchley. At his home station of Northampton he was also responsible for some 150 guards' pocket watches.
His interest in railway clocks began over 40 years ago, when he saw them in stations and signal boxes, where their grimy and oily condition, usually gave them the dubious honour of being the dirtiest items there.
He has a small business buying, restoring and selling genuine ex-railway clocks and pocket watches.
ISBN 0 9540525 6 0
246 x 189mm, 360 pages, 750 illustrations, hardback, full-colour cover, £35.00