Now it has a Story

[Art]

Last year I was in a pawn shop in Silsbee, Tx. One of the owners was a very old man who was getting rid of some of his personal watches including a number of Railroad Grade pocket watches. One was an Illinois that had "Houston Watch Company" printed under "Illinois" and "Loaner" right under the hands. Well I knew what that was, when railroad employees had to bring in a watch for periodic maintenance the watchmaker contracted by the railroad would provide a "loaner" watch to be used until the work on the employees watch was finished and he picked it up.

The father of a friend of mine who lives now in Opelousas, Louisiana was a railroad telegrapher in south central Louisiana and later a small town station manager in East Texas in the late 1930s to early 1940s until Uncle Sam decided his skills would be better used against the Japanese. His railroad watch, a Hamilton 992 resides on a shelf in his living room. I wound it on a visit there and it still runs. They were darned expensive and he had to buy it on the installment plan.

The subject of the watch came up today and he said he bought the watch from the Houston Watch Company which was a railroad contractor. I told him about the "Loaner" with the Houston Watch Company logo on it and he said that when his watch required periodic maintenance he had to take a train to Houston drop it off at the said Houston Watch Company and they would provide him with a loaner.

I imagine there is a decent chance my Illinois was once carried, temporarily, by my buddies dad.

One more thing. While I was looking at the watches in the pawn shop I asked the old fellow if he had a Hamilton 992. He said he did and it was not for sale .