and i bought this...

1920's Elgin Watch Co. Railroad Watch

Now, i wrote a review yesterday and while i was inserting the pictures the computer shut off. So here's a quickie:


Strong running, accurate, beautifully decorated elgin pocketwatch from the 1920's that belonged to a guy that conducted a postal train. All three hands are blued and it has a cool mediterranean motif engraved in the center of the dial. Caseback has a choo-choo engraved by hand.





The movement has weird geometric patterns engraved over top of geneve striping and "ELGIN NATL WATCH CO U.S.A." and a serial number engraved and filled with dark red enamel. It ticks loudly 18,000 times an hour and is pretty damn accurate for a pocketwatch of this age. The inside of he caseback has "cleaning 9/30/60 jeweler" and an indistinguishable symbol faintly engraved by hand. I hope that wasn't the last time it was cleaned





It also came with this american made wood/glass display. I'm going to use it as a desk clock at work before selling it.


If anyone knows where to get an antique chain for it, let a brother know!

Nice, AJ! If you're gonna keep it, you might want to have a good service done on it.

Are the engravings on the base plates original? They look like they may have been added sometime after its production.

mrneddles wrote:Are the engravings on the base plates original? They look like they may have been added sometime after its production.

Until i do more research on the movement, i have no idea.


Very well could be.

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&2uswk&Elgin_291

Engraving is original but i am unsure if it's railroad grade.

conjurer wrote:Nice, AJ! If you're gonna keep it, you might want to have a good service done on it.

Stormchaser wrote:Wow, that's simply gorgeous! Congrats on that find!

thanks. I'd like to thank the dirty hicks of landenberg pennsylvania for having junk auctions.

I'm not much into pocket watches, but even a pogue like myself can see how amazing this one is...I also like your desk clock idea; just plain way-cool! (Sure beats the crap outta those silly-assed turdling and goofy-as-snot Android watches du pockets...) Will done, and God bless them thar midul uh no-whar Anteek Ockshunz!!!

Mortuus wrote:I'm not much into pocket watches, but even a pogue like myself can see how amazing this one is...I also like your desk clock idea; just plain way-cool! (Sure beats the crap outta those silly-assed turdling and goofy-as-snot Android watches du pockets...) Will done, and God bless them thar midul uh no-whar Anteek Ockshunz!!!

And the middle of nowhere it was. Go along ol rt 896 past a whole bunch of nothing, pass a couple farm houses, and when you smell the mushroom farms (smells like concentrated shit juice) it's the big white farm house and barns with a bunch of characters walking around.
I bought an old tube AM radio too but it doesn't work. Gonna see how difficult it would be to go about fixing it.

Believe it or not, most tube radios are much easier to fix than their solenoid-laden, wood grain stickered, laid-away-at-K-Mart counterparts of today... Just check the main bus wire for continuity, replace the old paper-skinned capacitors and resistors, and use an e-lectronics vacuum to gently remove all the old grime, spider webs and dead bugs. And it never hurts to test your tubes, assuming, of course, that you have a tube tester...which I do, but I spent quite a lot a Samolians on it...