Antique 1892 Seth Thomas No. 2 Southern Pacific Railroad Clock, Ball Watch, RARE

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Antique 1892 Seth Thomas No. 2 Southern Pacific Railroad Clock, Ball Watch, RARE:
$1450.00

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EXTREMELY RARE Seth Thomas Regulator No. 2 Southern Pacfic/Ball Watch Railroad Regulator

Maker: Seth Thomas/Ball Watch Co.

Origin: USA

Age: 1892
Size: 36\" Long
Reference: Seth Thomas Clocks & Movements, Third Edition, Volume 1, Ly, Page 276, No. 859
Description:

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE DESCRIPTION AS THIS IS A VERY RARE AND ORIGINAL RAILROAD CLOCK

This is an extremely rare, circa 1892 Seth Thomas Regulator No. 2, Southern Pacific Railroad Ball Watch Co railroad wall regulator. These larger long drop regulators were usually used in the main lobby area by the railroads, which had a strict time standard that was developed by Webb C. Ball. These clocks are getting hard to find and are prized by collectors. THIS CLOCK CAME OUT OF THE SAME COLLECTION AS THE BALL SHORT DROP THAT I CURRENTLY HAVE LISTED, WHICH IS ALSO A SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD CLOCK WITH PROVENANCE.

This is a very rare clock, in that it has both the Southern Pacific railroad documentation and an original Ball Watch Company dial. Also it is hard to find original Southern Pacific railroad clocks and even rarer to find one on a Seth Thomas Regulator No. 2 with an original STAMPED SP Co marking on the movement.

This is NOT one of the many fakes that you see being sold by unscrupulous people who have put a reproduction railroad dial on an old clock or call a plain wall regulator a railroad clock. To be considered a true railroad time piece, the clock was always marked or stamped by the railroad on the dial, case or combination of both. Railroad time accuracy was extremely important and the railroads marked their time pieces to ensure that they received regular service and care.

What you see in this sale is the real deal. I have been collecting clocks for over 30 years and have sold many railroad time pieces. I do not sell fakes and what you buy from me you can believe is the real thing.

The movement, dial and beat scale are ALL clearly marked with original Southern Pacific or Ball Watch Company information.

MARKINGS and RAILROAD INFORMAITON

The case is stamped 12 34 on the beat scale which was the SP inventory number for this clock. The movement is stamped \"SP Co\" (Southern Pacific Company) on the lower left side. I have had several Southern Pacific clocks over the years with marked movements such as this, but they are very rare to find. Southern Pacific was very detailed about marking their clocks. The movement also has the number 48 inscribed on the lower left. The number 34 is also written in chalk on the wood dial support (dial support is probably a very old replacement done by the railroad). On the back of the dial, written in pencil (it is very faded but legible), it is marked with SP and the number 34.

The back of the clock is also stamped E2981 which translates to a Seth Thomas production of May 1892, and that was during the early years of the Southern Pacific Railroad, so this clock has a very long history. The dial is an original Ball Watch Company dial and is original to the clock and overall is very good, but does have some light chipping of paint, yellowing around the edge and some dirt accumulation, but this is the way you want to find them. There are no extra holes and everything lines up as it should so the dial started life with the clock. When I obtained the clock I noticed that the screws holding the dial on were older incorrect larger flathead replacements, which happens a lot on old clocks when the original dial holes became stripped out. I have since replaced the screws with period correct roundhead screws ( I always like to keep extras for times like this).

I have seen many railroad clocks over the years, but very few with both a Ball Watch dial and designated railroad information both on the same clock, so this is one of the rarest and most original railroad clocks I have ever seen.

The walnut case is in excellent overall condition and better than most I have seen considering its age, but appears to have been refinished years ago. (the inside of the clock has the original finish). The refinish job is ok, but could be improved mostly because the stain is not quite a walnut color and some of the wood grain doesn\'t show through. You could probably use a paint thinner and steel wool and rub some of the bad stain away to see the original grain and this would save you the trouble of refinishing, but actually it isn\'t all that bad and you can just leave it as is.

The case was only refinished on the outside upper and lower doors, the sides and the tail, so it would be easy to improve it back to its original color (see photos). There are no cracks, splits or broken pieces except some veneer loss on the bottom tail which can be seen in the photos. The lower glass is original with lots of waves and the upper glass is an old replacement The inner brass bezel ring has a small bend at about 2 o\'clock but it is minor. The pendulum and hands are all original and the pendulum bob has tarnish and wear consistent with age. There are no labels on the clock.

The original, large No. 61, 8-day, time only movement is the original to the clock and is unsigned which is correct for this year, but it is clearly marked with the ORIGINAL Southern Pacific Railroad logo (Seth Thomas didn\'t start marking No. 61 movements until around 1896). The screws holding the movement bracket to the case have been replaced long ago and now have nuts on the back side, which again, is common for old clocks with stripped holes. The weight is original and has tarnish. The weight hook is a possible replacement. The movement has been running (*see below) and keeping perfect time. A professional routine cleaning is always recommended.

If you are a collector of railroad time pieces it does not get any better than this for rarity, authenticity and provenance. This is a very fine example to add to your collection.

A crank is included.

Please remember that you are buying an antique time piece that is 126 years old. I have listed all of the significant and obvious issues, but I am not going to list every small and tiny scrape or bump, this should be assumed when you are buying a time piece this old.

*Wecannot guarantee that any clock will be runningafter being jostled around in shipping.Vintage and antique clocks require routine cleaning and oiling service and may need adjustments after shipping such as being put back in beat, (much like a piano needs tuning after moving). We do not cover buyers cost forrestorations,service, cleaningor maintenance.

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