Rare Antique Gold Filled Railroad Pocket Watch Chain

Rare antique gold filled railroad pocket watch chain.

The chain measures 30cm long including the T-bar and the clasp. The T-bar, one of the links and the clasp all carry the mark SP&S, believed to be for Spokane, Portland & Seattle, a railroad in the north United States.

In 1905, James J Hill set his ambitions on building a railroad that would travel from Spokane, Washington, to Portland, Oregon. He already owned the Northern Pacific and Great Northern railroads, and connecting the two would allow him to capitalise on the Pacific Northwest’s lucrative lumber trade. In 1906, construction began on Hill’s new railroad as crews laid track through the Columbia River Gorge. This was the beginning of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway (SP&S). (Oregon Historical Society).

Later manufacturing companies did sometimes use American railroad logos on their chains to enhance their marketability, but we believe this one to be a genuine example from the early 1900s, the quality, weight and classic design all point to a piece from the railroad era.

A newspaper advert from the time advised that watches and chains could be purchased from the railway inspectors. The men generally spent the bulk of their money on accurate railroad pocket watches, and the chains were usually either gold filled or nickel silver.

The chain is in lovely condition, just a couple of slight splits where the gold filled sections have settled, it does not affect the structure of the T-bar.

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All of our watches are checked over before listing, and are also checked for accuracy which is usually within around +/- two to three minutes over 24 hours (unless otherwise stated), which is considered respectable for a vintage watch.

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