Plimmon Henry (P. H.) Dudley of New York.

P.H. (Plimmon Henry) Dudley(1843-1924). Mr. Dudley was a gifted civil and metallurgical engineer whose opinions on these matters were held in high regard and respected by the railroad industry. Concerning clocks in the development of standardizing time, he believed in electronically adjusting or synchronizing clocks along the rail line. This was done simultaneously along the rail line by connecting them by a signal. This would, intern decrease the variability of station clock displays. He showed that the variation average was 3 minutes a day if the clocks were set by hand. By electrically controlling this adjustment, this variability would vanish. The system he developed was reliable, and as a result, his clock sold well. His first clocks were installed in 1879 along the mainline stations on the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad. Due to their success, they were installed on the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad the following year. Still employed by railroad concerns, by 1882, he moved away from the horology side to work on other rail-related issues. This departure of concentration left the market for high-quality synchronizers wide open to other competitors.

For a more in depth description of Dudley, please read Bob Simon's article published in the NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin dated March/April 2015.