Instrument 07 / coordination and authority

Railway Clock

--:--:--

Westmere--:--local -8 min

Ash Junction--:--local -3 min

Central--:--reference

Mill Crossing--:--local +4 min

Eastbridge--:--local +9 min

Five fictional towns keep illustrative local-solar offsets. Press synchronize to replace them with one railway time.

Why this clock exists

On November 18, 1883, North American railroads replaced nearly fifty operating times with five standard zones. Town clocks had followed local solar noon; timetables required clocks along a route to agree. These fictional towns begin a few minutes apart, then submit to one railway time at your command. Synchronization solves a coordination problem while revealing the authority required to decide which noon everyone will use.

Smithsonian on Standard Railway Time