While at Roanoke....Another question

[wobblinwheel]

When at the Va. Transportation Museum I also toured the "President One" passenger car. This car appeared to be a combination sleeper, Diner, and Lounge/observation car. I noticed near the entrance to each compartment, mounted eye-level on the wall,  was a cast-metal, enclosure (which had ornate see-through cut-outs) which contained three (each) thermometers. They looked like your typical old-style fever thermometers, except slightly larger in diameter. Each one was clipped vertically, side-by-side, inside this enclosure, and visible through the cut-outs in the metal housing. Each one was located in a place where you would expect a light switch (or a light) to be. Upon close inspection, each object was, in fact, a THERMOMETER! THREE per housing, ONE per room! What in the world could these be for?? Each "thermometer" had numbered increments on them and, of course, a Mercury bulb at the bottom.

ANYBODY KNOW??

[Deggesty]

wobblinwheel

When at the Va. Transportation Museum I also toured the "President One" passenger car. This car appeared to be a combination sleeper, Diner, and Lounge/observation car. I noticed near the entrance to each compartment, mounted eye-level on the wall,  was a cast-metal, enclosure (which had ornate see-through cut-outs) which contained three (each) thermometers. They looked like your typical old-style fever thermometers, except slightly larger in diameter. Each one was clipped vertically, side-by-side, inside this enclosure, and visible through the cut-outs in the metal housing. Each one was located in a place where you would expect a light switch (or a light) to be. Upon close inspection, each object was, in fact, a THERMOMETER! THREE per housing, ONE per room! What in the world could these be for?? Each "thermometer" had numbered increments on them and, of course, a Mercury bulb at the bottom.

ANYBODY KNOW??

Are they thermostats they control the temperature in the compartments?

[nyc#25]

  Business cars usually had an air gauge and speedometer for the officials to observe a thermometer

would not be very important.