It’s quite possible this very watch was sitting inside the train depot the moment the photo was taken or in service that day.

The background photo for this watch includes the very train station in Indiana where this watch served and during the period in which it served.

Greensburg, Ind.” and if you find this bit of historical reference thrilling, this watch will be a perfect addition to your collection. Even rare is finding a vintage pocket watch with a researchable history, and this fine timepiece does exactly that. Thus, finding one in excellent condition is truly a rare find. However, because they were loaners, these watches were often not as well cared for as a watch owned by an individual. The railway company would engrave the case of their loaner watches in an effort to identify them as such. When this happened, the railway companies would loan the employee a watch to use. But as with any mechanical device, sometimes a rail worker had to put their watch in the shop to be serviced. Rail workers were required by regulation to carry with them a timepiece that complied with the railroad timekeeping standards established in the 1890s. This watch hit the railways at the turn of the century during those precious few quiet years ahead of the stormy 20th century. This exquisite Hampden Grade Special Railway Model 3, produced in 1899, is a rare find featuring some details that are of historical and horological interest.

Hampden pocket watch serial number