The setting sun lights up the clock tower at Albany Station at 8:43 p.m. Monday, July 5.
If they gave up on the clocks in the tower at Albany Station, would you blame them? Once again, the four clocks exhibited great diversity on Monday, and none of them was even close to the time of day.
The clocks have been giving trouble since last year. They were wildly out of synch with each other and with Pacific time in September, were fixed in October, and were off and fixed again in November. In March they were incorrect for a few days before someone noticed that they had been stopped by a temporary power failure and had to be reset.
On Monday Councilman Ray Kopczynski, on the eve of an epic cross-country drive in one of his ancient SAABs (that’s another story and you can read about it in the Democrat-Herald), called my attention to the clock tower once again.
And sure enough, going around the compass, when I checked on Monday, the clocks claimed that it was 8 o’clock, or 8:25, or 6:25, and or just 7. It was actually 8:43 p.m. when I started walking around the clock tower, and 8:45 when I stopped.
The clock tower was added when the historic Southern Pacific depot was restored and renovated in 2006. The clocks were a gift from the Greater Albany Rotary Club and cost $40,000. Now they seem to have worn out.
The station, the tower and the clocks are owned by the city of Albany. The council has bigger things on its plate, but it may also want to decide what to do about decorative and highly visible clocks that don’t reliably keep the time. (hh)
The clock tower as I looked at it on Monday evening, when …
… the actual time in Albany was this.
Maybe it would be more cost effective to place the clocks on the very same system as the clocks in the schools.
“Punctuality is the virtue of the bored.“
Evelyn Waugh
Should have gone with the more reliable digital solution.
(Sarcasm intended)
Our minds are on the same path, I was also thinking a good solar charged lithium battery to keep in time each day. All tongue in cheek humor.
Hasso, thought we got rid of you when you retired from the yellow rag.
“bag” the clocks and put up a sign that says “Albany Station” with the City of Albany Logo.
No need for electricity, maintenance, or changeover from daylight or standard time.
Why was the tower built in the first place? They restored the “Historic” rail station – The ORIGINAL did not have a clock tower!!!!! Another twist on history that doesn’t have anything to do with the past.
I think the clocks add a nice touch to the station and wonder how the clocks on the Benton County Courthouse seem to continue to work fine in a structure that is much older.
They likely work because they were designed during a time when things were built to last unlike today where things seem to be designed to fail right after the manufacturer warranty expires.
I’m with Jeff screw the clocks and put up a stained glass sign that says Albany station
I noticed the clocks myself and was going to write to you Hasso, but most everyone beat me to it! I say keep the clocks. Surely we can find a secure, correct solution!!
Put up an LED digital readout that displays time and temperature and be done with it… Tired of hearing about this ridiculous clock.
YES! The perfect fix – Jeff Senders – create a design for the clock tower – we always leave it to the artist for design – I’m thinking a sunrise and sunset. Then, for the travelers, a digital read out of time and temp near arrival/departure area. Oh, and perhaps a solar collector light up there for the stained glass of course!
Don’t need clocks….I’m with Jeff…..put a sign up.(Thank you Rotary Club for your gift). I think it goes along with the lights downtown hanging across the street and the Amtrak trains that we pay for leasing with our vehicle license renewals: 20 million a year for two trains and still have to buy a ticket.