Flying Scotsman Clock

16 January 2018

Sometime late last fall, probably in October, I received an ad in the mail from the Bradford Exchange for a train-themed cuckoo clock commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Flying Scotsman's non-stop run between London and Edinburgh. The clock was to be "Intricately sculpted and vividly hand-painted, this Flying Scotsman collectible showcases a miniature replica of the Flying Scotsman, which moves around a track as it produces the train's authentic sound. On the hour, a Stationmaster emerges announcing the train's arrival. Plus, the clock's face features an impressive replica of the front of the locomotive's engine and includes the Flying Scotsman's trademark hinges, bars and name plate." It was "only" $199.99 - quite a lot, but I was interested in trains, so I paid for it and waited to see what I got.

The clock arrived on 14 November 2017. I was a bit disappointed in the craftsmanship, but I kept it. I got batteries in it (for the clock and to run the engine mechanism) and hung it on the wall in my room. It worked as advertised, but I turned off the train sound and mechanism - it was cute but quickly got to be a bit much when it whistled and chugged around the track behind me every hour on the hour. So instead, it makes a distinctive "click" on the hour.

I was quite proud to find that I'd set the time so that when the mechanism activated/clicked on the hour my computer's clock agreed exactly. But now I'm beginning to wonder about the accuracy of the clock. It's only been two months since I set the clock but now it clicks about 6 seconds before my computer clock turns over to the new hour. Gaining 6 seconds in two months - over a half a minute per year - isn't enough to get me to arrive anywhere overly early. But it makes me wonder about the quality of the clock mechanism chosen for my Flying Scotsman and about the quality of anything that the Bradford Exchange charges a premium for.

Oh well, it's just a clock.