Railways and the
test of time
As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, we remember rail’s rich history includes changing how we use time, says editor Greg Morse.
In the early 1800s, timekeeping across Great Britain varied significantly, with local times differing by up to 25 minutes from London time. The standardisation of time began in 1840 with Great Western Railway, which synchronised clocks across its network. The clocks on the Corn Exchange in Bristol still have black minute hands to mark the old local time and red ones for Greenwich Mean Time.
The rest of the country soon followed, with the Railway Clearing House publishing its first standard on time, on 22 September 1847.
Today, the rail industry relies on various time sources, including satellite-based clocks, radio clocks, and networked clocks. However, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is 37 seconds behind atomic clock time and 18 seconds behind GPS time, complicating the comparison of timestamps across different systems.
To help combat this, RSSB has introduced a new standard for interpreting time data, addressing the multiple factors that can affect this data. This standard aims to help the industry locate, combine, and analyse data, specify new systems, and enhance cybersecurity.
The new standard encourages the broader use of UTC and the consistent formatting of date, time, and UTC time offset values, aligning with international standards. It comes as industry marks the 200th anniversary of modern railways. It was on 26 September 1825 that Britain’s first steam-hauled public railway—the Stockton and Darlington—was launched. This year will see many celebrations up and down the country.
Emma Roberts, programme manager for Railway 200, a cross-sector, partner-led campaign, said: ‘Coming down the tracks this year is a bumper programme of exciting initiatives and shared storytelling for everyone to get involved with and enjoy. Railway 200 represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the railway, its people, and its communities to shout long, loud and proud about rail’s many achievements and plans for a more sustainable future. It will cover the past, present and future of the railway. As well as showcasing rail’s pioneering pedigree, it will excite and invite more people to consider a career in the railway.’
Cover image: Corn Exchange Clock, Bristol, by Rick Crowley, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
