“Comparing Time” is a part of the Capitol Avenue Bronze public art collection . . donated to the City of Cheyenne by private individuals, organizations or companies. For more information about the Capitol Avenue Bronze Project, visit Deselms Fine Art at https://deselmsfineart.com
Jim Ehernberger is a lifelong train enthusiast and amateur historian. His knowledge of the history of the railroads in this region runs deep. When he was approached about participating in the Capitol Avenue Bronze Project, he wanted to share his passion by teaching how time was originally kept by the railroads and what an essential function it was for efficient operation and safety.
The statue he donated depicts two railroad workers looking at their watches, comparing time. It invites the viewer back into another, older world where tasks like keeping synchronizing time was not controlled by anonymous computers but by vigilant men and women.
This excerpt from the book “Faces of Railroading, published in 2005 by Kalmbach Publishing Co., explains how the early railroads kept time.
Long before radios and extensive signaling systems, railroads safely operated multiple trains on the same line. Supplied with timetables showing the schedules of all regular trains, and precisely worded written orders from the dispatcher, crews ran with a complete understanding of where and when they would meet other trains, and which train would need to be in the siding to let the other pass. The system worked because every employee had a reliable pocket watch, and regularly compared it to a master clock known to be accurate. As a further safety check, crew members gathered before each run to “compare dials” and make sure each railroader’s watch was correct. This was not just an empty ritual. These veteran railroaders know that lives may depend on precise timekeeping.
Today, most trains are dispatched by computers and radios, and their movements are controlled by color light signals. Nevertheless, every employee is still required to have a reliable watch, to compare it to a clock known to be accurate, and to make sure it never varies from the correct time by more than 30 seconds.
To learn more about the Capitol Avenue Bronze Project, visit this link . For more information about each artist, sponsoring a bronze, or becoming a donor/supporter at any level, please contact Harvey Deselms at Deselms Fine Art, located at 303 E. 17th Street Cheyenne. Email is deslemsart@aol.com or call at 307 432 0606
