Dispatcher's Trainsheet - Ironton RR - Copy Posted in Phone Booth

I believe you.  I'd say that it's a train sheet.  I have some RI trains sheets and have seen some from a few other railroads.  The RI ones are titled, "Dispatcher's Record of Train Movement."    

Jeff

That's a Train Sheet. You had me at the second photo with the Record of Weather. That was really important information for the Dispatcher to know. In this country, temperature and wind speeds had a huge impact on running times. The Train Sheets I've seen had even more space than that to keep track of that information at various points on a Sub.

The ones I've seen didn't have a need for the information about interchanges to other railways, so the layout was more left to right than up and down, if you take my meaning.

Thanks Paul.

Bruce

I'd guess a southpaw dispatcher would have to be pretty acrobatic to handle that sheet.                     As a kid in Reading, we liked to hang at Outer Station's "D office" dispatchers' huge double-hung window, open in pre-AC summer days. Dunno if they ever got AC in that marvelous station, except for the divisional brass upstairs.

The telegraph's clacking was memorable and the (crank? left to right?) scrolled train sheets were too far inside to see much of. Wonder if they helped fuel the fire that destroyed the place. They probably wound up in the attic under the wooden geared 4-face clock.

One day my buddy and I brought our new Avalon Hill "Dispatcher" game down there and laid it out on a baggage wagon coveniently Iparked at the big window. They were always a friendly bunch (compared to most, but not all of the trainmen, who we figured had more immediate and dangerous stuff to deal  with). The dispatchers had some fun that day. "SJ, isn't that on the Pennsy?","tthe east end looks like PRSLl.", were some of their comments and the middle 4-track helper section was PRR all the way.

Back around 1958, a full summer's day would involve a 15 or 20 cent bus ride from Mount Penn into Reading, to Franklin Street and the salacious novelty stores (the salt and pepper shakers come to mind). Then it was up the Reading Comp'ny cut, because 7th street was really the railroad with elevated sidewalks, to the Outer Station, detouring via Walnut and 6th of course. We'd train watch all morning, go back to Penn Street for an afternoon flick at one of four theaters and return to the Outer for the evening rush of intricate passenger, baggage and mail exchanges between the Main Line  and the New York-Harrisburg trains. Then the bus to home and the end of a too short day.

Spare me the Subaru, can I have a Time Machine please?

Rick.

Nice story - thanks for sharing.  I can picture some of that, having worked in the area from 1975 - 1977 and then again from 1980 - 1987.  Was through there briefly just a couple months ago - surprised to see that Leinbach's Hardware is still in business in Mt. Penn . . .

- Paul North. 

Getting off topic, but this forum is for enojyment, and Leinbach's (I'll check with my brother Pete, who despite having work commitments, was constantly being re-elected as burgess or manager of the borough. Gosh, the smell of seed embedded in the floors, the Lawnboy  mowers or Lionel trains in season, and the PC7  epoxy display with the golf ball glued on top of  the ABC (Allentown?) bottle.

Back to concrete lineside phone structures. The Reading';s were wooden, , mounted on the poles  and had face panels that swung upwards. When they were finally left unlocked we'd try to call the listed offices and got nothing. Good deal I suppose because the RR police would have zoomed in on us quickly. As trespassing ,railroad fascinated railroad and occasionally train-hopping Jack London "road kids," we new they'd move in fast.

B&O had  a concrete structure just east of the old F tower location here in DC where my friend  Fred , a homeless guy had moved in and lived there for years. He had about 15 army blankets and went to the appropriate level as conditions warranted. I used to hire him when my company needed extra help.

I think it was the Lacky that went really big for concrete structures (no paint and no shingles or termites) in a big way.

R.FLIX

More photos of documents posted in that same phone booth, for everyone's general information and edification.  The first two are of the type that would be used - taken down and written up, etc. - there, but not the 3rd - it would have resided with the MOW and Engineering Dept. folks, not the Operating Dept. people as the first two would: 

1)  Lehigh Valley Railroad Company "Form 19" Train Order No. 5, dated Jan. 5, 1967:

2)  Lehigh Valley Railroad Company "Form T.C." for Track Car 'clearances' dated Aug. 18, 1966:

3)  Track Chart excerpt for Lehigh Valley Railroad main line, from approx. MP 92 to MP 102, undated (but probably from after 1965 or so, as the main is down to only 1 or 2 tracks through here):

There are a lot of details that could be explained from this, but I'll leave most of that to a later date.  For now, just note the distances between the MP's across the top of the page - of the 10 values, only 1 is the exact 5,280 ft. for a statutory mile (between MP's 99 and 100) - the others range from a low of 5,170' (MP's 92 to 93) to a high of 5,558' (MP's 96 to 97).    And if you listen carefully, you may soon hear the sound of a "mudchicken" laughing in the far-off western distances . . .

 - Paul North.