[time-nuts] Railway Time and Standard Time

Jean-Louis Oneto Jean-Louis.Oneto at obs-azur.fr
Wed Mar 18 23:43:52 UTC 2009


The measurement of Earth circumference by Eratosthenes is still a nice 
application of (solar) synchronisation...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eratosthenes
The Time Balls (for example at USNO, DC, USA and Real Observatorio de la 
Armada in San Fernando, Andalucia, Spain are also nice early (one way) 
synchonisation devices. In Nice, France, there is still a solar triggered 
gun which annouce Noon to the inhabitants of the city since the Medieval Age 
(I don't have the exact date). The clocks on bellltowers had no other 
purpose either...
In fact, astronomy didn't needed synchronisation in ancient times, they were 
providing _the_time_definition_, hence synchronisation. In Islam at least, 
the basic religious events are still based on direct astronomic 
observations... (New Moon in particular)
Have a nice day,
Jean-Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Hawkins" <bill at iaxs.net>
To: "'Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement'" 
<time-nuts at febo.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 8:35 PM
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Railway Time and Standard Time


> Thanks, Arnold.
>
> It's my impression that the need for time synchronization grew out of
> the need to schedule trains on limited tracks.
>
> Astronomy could have needed synchronization earlier, but the trains
> drove it as they grew in number.
>
> Any other early needs for synchronization? Longitude is a separate
> problem, one of traveling clocks.
>
> Bill Hawkins
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Arnold Tibus
> Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 9:39 AM
>
> Searching the WWW I struggled about
> the expression "Railway Time" and found some very nice bloggs.
>
> http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/info/railway.htm
>
> Occasional Train Blogging: Central European Time:
> http://www.eurotrib.com/story/2007/1/29/183327/233
>
>
>
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