What does O.S. stand for?

[gabe]

A new member of the forum is registered under "O.S." If it is something personal, no need to entertain my prying, but if it is rail related, what does it stand for?

A poster formerly known as "Gabe"

[Anonymous]

I don't mind saying. It's a convenient handle, like LC for LimitedClear or Overmod -- whatever THAT means, or Gabe, which stands for "Get another beer, Ethel." OK, I'm probably making that last one up. [:D]

OS means "On Sheet." When a train passes a control point in CTC or 251 territory, or a station in timetable and train-order territory, the time of its passage is noted on the train sheet in the proper place. Train sheets are like big spread-sheets, with all the timetable stations for that territory preprinted in a vertical column. Vertical columns are drawn on either side of the station column, and a convention is established that sets all the columns on one side as westward (or southward) and all the columns on the other side as eastward (or northward). Horizontal lines are drawn between each station and across the width of the sheet, dividing it into boxes.

Each train gets its own vertical column on the side of the sheet that corresponds with its direction of movement. A train enters the trainsheet at the station at which it starts, and as it progresses the time at which it passes each open station is reported by that station and entered by the dispatcher onto the train sheet. This forms a permanent record of how the railroad was operated, and by its very nature it establishes a dynamic record of each train's movement authority. You can look back at it later to see patterns from which major operational and investment decisions are derived, to see where improvements in efficiency might be obtained, and to understand how a collision caused by an authority excursion came about, and where the error started.

In the trainorder and timetable days, operators in open stations "OS'd" each train to the dispatcher by telegraph or telephone, sending a message like "OS X5431W at Cisco, 10:13." Closed or unmanned stations couldn't report, of course, and unless there was a temporary or permanent requirement for the train to OS itself by telephone or radio at a given station, no OS could be made. But there would be enough OS points (Rock Island dispatchers can roll there eyes here) that the dispatcher knew what was going on, and the dispatcher always had enough of an updated picture in front of him that he could manage his railroad efficiently.

Today, the train sheet is electronic, and in CTC territory each control point (every controlled signal) is an "OS." All remote-control switches are control points, and there are a smattering of things like hold-out signals that are also controlled, that also report to the CTC machine. The moment a train passes a controlled signal, it is detected by the track circuit in that new block it just entered, and that sends a signal to the CTC computer. The computer looks to see which train ID has authority past that control point, moves the ID past the control point on the dispatcher's graphic display of the main track, and updates the train's location (and the exact time it entered that OS) on the train sheet, which is also graphically displayed. OS has thus come to mean "on switch" or "on station" as well as "on sheet," and you'll often hear a dispatcher say to someone inquiring on the location of a train, "he just hit the OS at ..." or a train crew saying "we're off the OS" as their rear end clears it. "OS" has thus become shorthand for that section of main track between controlled signals at a remote-control switch, that is, that portion of the three tracks entering that switch in between the three signals protecting that switch.

In TWC and DTC territory, there are no control points, and the train sheet records the time each movement authority is granted to which train, the limits of that authority, and the time an authority is released. It's not as clear-cut on the trainsheet as CTC territory or train-order territory, but the net effect is the same -- a permanent record of who went where, when. The times of all meets, starts, and finishes are recorded, and those are what you really want to know about.

All train sheets record essential such as the ID of the train, its engines, its tonnage, its loads and empty, and the names of its crew. Notes are inserted by the dispatcher for his convenience, to alert his relief to something, etc.

Electronic trainsheets can be replayed in real time, or sped up, and you can replay radio and telephone conversations of the dispatcher in 100% coordination. Paper train sheets can be studied. Train sheets are essential in accident investigations and rules-violation investigations, and for capacity and operating plan studies. Every new siding, every new section of second main track, every grade reduction, and many motive power replacements, too, begins as a study of train sheets. The train sheets from any railroad, anywhere, anytime, will tell you more about that railroad's operations than almost any book. Couple that to the annual reports, and a 1% waybill sample, and you can really start to learn something.

OS

[richardy]

OS:

In the days before computers were CTC machines; other than being glued to the light how did the dispatcher get the exact time a train crossed an OS point for the sheet?

[Anonymous]

Actually, the paper train sheet lasted a long time into the computerized CTC machine era. Some offices only stopped using paper sheets as recently as 5 or so years ago. An old head like BaltACD can answer this better, because the old relay machines with levers were gone from most roads by the time I hired out, but as I recall being told, the dispatcher watched the track lights and entered the correct ID manually on the train sheet each time a train lit up a track light at a control point. A bell dinged on some machines, too. A recording pen on a moving paper roll (or wheel) also recorded train movements graphically -- you'd insert a new roll or wheel every 24 hours or some shorter period. Essentially the same thing occurred with the early computerized CTC machines.

I should add, all improvements technology and the elimination of old types of busywork have been matched -- or exceeded -- by a commensurate increase in workload and new and truly egregious types of busywork. Technology hasn't made the dispatcher's job easier, only harder, because it has enabled the territories covered by one man to become mammoth. The old image of the dispatcher studying his trainsheet while smoke slowly curls upward from the lit cigarette in one hand before issuing some pithy and brilliant order that meets four trains and a track machine, has been replaced by a madhouse of 10 to 20 phone lines and radio calls all lit up and waiting from before dawn to after dusk, while 30 or more trains are looking for a signal and crew times tick toward pumpkin time -- and after dusk, consoles are combined. Every time I walk into a dispatching office these days, the urge to actually, physically, bolt for the door and run until I'm over the horizon is almost uncontrollable.

OS

[jeaton]

On the other hand O.S. could stand for a common expletive heard in the dispatch office when a train crew reports that the last operating locomotive on their train just died. [V][banghead]

[Anonymous]

That would be much too mild.[:)]

[Anonymous]

I hear the UP use that word when talking to a train when the in a Signal block.
"Contact me when you get in the OS!"

[JoeKoh]

O.S.
thanks for the information.
stay safe
Joe

[Anonymous]

To optometrists, O.S. means oculus sinister (left eye). Isn't it interesting that sinister (from Latin) means left. How appropriate that left wing politicians are sinister. Larry

[Anonymous]

I've been called a lot of things, though sinister is a new one. Oh well, if the shoe fits ... However, I must declare that I've always been right-handed.

Sinister is indeed Latin for left. Because most people are right handed, they carry a weapon in their right hand, and the left side became the side unguarded, therefore the unlucky side. So the first synonym for left became unlucky. Unlucky came to mean the same as unfavorable, unfavorable to bad, bad to evil. The fact that left-wing and sinister share the same root is coincidence. Had 90% of us been left-handed instead of right, you'd be joking that right-wing politcians are evil.

And Ned Flanders has cut you from his Christmas Card list.

OS

[K. P. Harrier]

OS:

My recollection of years long gone is that O.S. meant "Out of Station." Is that viable, or am I all washed up?

[dehusman]

The are several variations, On Sheet and Out of Station are the two most common. In my experience Out of Station was considered the definition.

Dave H.

[Anonymous]

K.P.: The old head dispatchers I've worked with, some with seniority dates back into the 1940s, all insist that OS means On Sheet. But perhaps it meant something else somewhere else -- like in the East. Alas, the bookshelves are all a bit sketchy on the origin of OS. Most of them equivocate between On Sheet and On Station. No source I can find says Out of Station. So I spent some time reviewing "Rights of Trains," 1954 edition (originally published 1904) and the rule books to see if I could arrive at a logical rationale for OS meaning On Sheet or On Station -- or maybe Out of Station.

What I see in the rules is that OS from a dispatcher's or operator's point of view must refer to the front of the train, not the rear. The reason has to do with how trains were granted authority to occupy a main track in train-order days, and the fact that trains are prioritized. Trains are directional, and the direction is forward. In order to move a train, authority must extend in front of a train. The dispatcher didn't concern himself with the location of the rear of a train, because it was protected from following movements by a flagman as well as the 10-minute separation between following trains. At a meet, the rear of the train is self-protected, because the inferior train could visually verify that the superior train hadn't cleared the meeting point.

The highest priority train on a railroad is the first-class passenger train. By rule the trains running in one direction are superior to trains of the same class running in the opposite direction. Thus the entire railroad runs off the schedule of the first-class passenger train that runs in the superior direction. That train shall not be delayed, so the dispatcher wants all inferior trains tucked out of the way at least five minutes before the first-class train arrives. Thus, the time that is most important to the dispatcher is the time the first-class arrives at an open station, because that's the last time from which he can subtract the first-class train's running time (plus five minutes) to the place where he can set a meet with an inferior train. It's the absolute minimum time he can take to the bank. And the meets are made by the head ends of trains, not the rear ends.

But, you might ask, what if the train runs slower than expected to the meeting point from that OS point? That is not the dispatcher's immediate concern. His concern is with protecting the schedule. If he delays the train, it's on him; if the train runs slow, that's its to answer for. By setting the OS time at the front of the train, the dispatcher cuts to the minute the minimum time he must allow -- and since trains have length, and the head end gets to the meet first, wherever the head end is located is the point where time is measured.

The only other thing I can speculate is that eastern railroads that ran as 251 territory, with interlocking plants controlling main track crossovers sprinkled along the route, might have been more concerned when a train left the station than when it arrived, because only after it cleared the interlocking plant could a new, conflicting, move be lined up. In that case, OS might well have meant Out of Station.

Every electronic train sheet I have seen today records the time when the head end of the train hits the control point and is On Station, not when the rear end leaves. If OS ever meant Out of Station, it doesn't now on these roads. The instant in time when the train becomes On Station is also the time when the train becomes On Sheet.

OS

[edblysard]

Read this thread yesterday...
Decided to ask the yardmasters where I work what they thought...four former SP dispatchers, four guys from UP, a boomer and a guy from the PTRA ranks...the SP guys said On Station, the UP guys said On Sheet, and the boomer said On Sheet as well...the PTRA guy never used the term at all.

By the way, the boomer worked for the Santa Fe, the Rock, the Katy, then us...

4 On Station
5 On Sheet
1 don't know

Ed

[VerMontanan]

On Sheet.

And I didn't have to ask anyone to determine this. I was a train dispatcher for 17 years. No other meaning that I ever heard of....

[CShaveRR]

For anyone who's curious, a short Latin lesson:

Sinister=left
Dexter=right.

I suspect that prejudicial connotations were added when the terms moved to other languages, notably ours.

[Anonymous]

Brothers and sisters We here in indianapolis still have to OS ALL of our trains on trainsheets.

[kenneo]

As an ex-telegrapher and interlocking operator for the SP.

Yes, you are concerned with the front of the train. However, when you OS'd a train it either "arrived", "departed" or was "by".

To arrive a train, you first had to know that its markers were in the clear or past the point where time applied if not between siding switches. This was particularly important if a train was having to double since the front "1/2" of the train would arrive, but the rear half would still be out on the railroad somewhere. You could tell the dspr what was going on, but you could not arrive the train because it wasn't all there.

To depart a train, if it was starting from a yard, such as its originating station, it would be departed at the point of first movement after permission to depart had been given. This time had to match the engine crews departure time. You then told the dispatcher when the train was completely on the main. At a siding, after a meet, if at an open office, it was when the markers cleared the points and the rean man had lined the gate and was aboard. If the train had stopped on the main, it was departed when movement first began again.

If the train roared right by without stopping and it was a timetable movement, it was either "by OT" (On Time) or "by at (time)" which was the time the markers went by the depot or the point where time applied. Extra movements were "by at (time)".

Interlockings, where they were controlled from a remote spot, or where the point(s) where time applies were not clearly visable to the operator, required a track occupancy indicator which "lit" when the front of the train crossed its point and "extinguished" when it had passed. With a CTC machine (all on our division were CTC machines - the USS relay/lever type -) and also the indicator type, CTC rules applied and you can get a real detailed explanation from OS above.

Having said all of the above, I clearly remember my first Rules Examiner correct me when I did not properly answer this question "When may you OS a train?" The correct answer = You may only OS a train at your station when it has arrived, departed or passed your station or point where time applies according to the rules and/or special instructions and applicable timetable bulletins and then only after you have properly recorded it on your telegraphers train sheet. Your report shall be made promptly and with no delay.

God rest your soul if you did it otherwise. In those days (the days of Donald J. Russell), it ran on time or you could have the pleasure of a personal call from Mr. Russell - in which case, your Trainmaster would escort you to the company property line where you could then locate your union griever. No hurry. It would be at least 30 days before the company would talk to you again.

OS = On Sheet for the Oregon Division, Southern Pacific

OD

[Anonymous]

Thank you OD, Vermontanan, Ed Blysard, and csx-dispatcher for expanding my knowledge. The rule that Eric cites brings more clarity to my understanding of OS'ing a train in the days of yore than all my airy discussion did.

OS

[G. Span]

While I have heard all the other acronyms for "OS," we should recall its earliest use back in the days of Block (Station) Operators and Timetable and Train Order Territory. Pneumatic and Armstrong levers mechanically linked to semaphore signals and all that romantic nonsense ruled the day. The dispatcher contacts the operator (telegraphically though later by company phone line) and has the operator copy orders for the next Westbound. "Copy 6 West." The operator copies the orders, repeats them back, sets the signal to Pick Up Orders and fixes the orders in a stand or hand held hoop for delivery. When the train picks up the orders, the operator notes the time and reports to the dispatcher Train Such and Such OS Station Whatever at 12:01 am. The operator is reporting. "Orders and Signals." At least back then... G. Span

[jeffhergert]

G. Span

While I have heard all the other acronyms for "OS," we should recall its earliest use back in the days of Block (Station) Operators and Timetable and Train Order Territory. Pneumatic and Armstrong levers mechanically linked to semaphore signals and all that romantic nonsense ruled the day. The dispatcher contacts the operator (telegraphically though later by company phone line) and has the operator copy orders for the next Westbound. "Copy 6 West." The operator copies the orders, repeats them back, sets the signal to Pick Up Orders and fixes the orders in a stand or hand held hoop for delivery. When the train picks up the orders, the operator notes the time and reports to the dispatcher Train Such and Such OS Station Whatever at 12:01 am. The operator is reporting. "Orders and Signals." At least back then... G. Span

 

I've also heard the term, in a more modern, CTC environment, to mean "Over Switch."  As someone noted, you'll hear dispatchers talking with those in the field about the "OS."  They're talking about the section of track, often where there is a controlled switch, between the opposing absolute signals of the control point.  

The old pre-GCOR rule books (my oldest is a CB&Q 1900) authorized OS as the telegraph call for a train report.  I'm in the On Sheet group as the original source for OS.

Jeff

 

[BaltACD]

As one who started as a Train Order Operator 53 years ago - OS = On Sheet.  Both the Operators Blocksheet and the Dispatchers Trainsheet.

Arrival was when the train STOPPED at the station, DEPARTURE was when the markers of the train cleared the station, if the train did not stop at the station then the OS was when the markers cleared the station.

Those definations of OS became invalid when CADS began keeping movement records.  All the logic of CADS is predicated on when a train initially occupys a track segment as it is defined in the interworkings of the CADS hardware/software.  While the internal CADS records maintain their records to the second of precision, the displayed CADS records are shown in the minute of occurrence.  The displayed CADS records are shown for Control Points only.  The system I worked with if a Control Point shows two times, that is a indication that the train crossed over from one main track to another main track - although there is no indication on those displayed records of which track is which - that information is retained in the CADS signal log that lists every happening at every Control Point that the CADS is connected to - all times in the signal log are maintained at the second level.  Every action attempted at a control point is retained in the signal log.  The attempt to line a signal, taking the signal down, when the timer has run and then permits the signal to be relined to another route.  When a train or a anomaly activates a individual track circuit.  All the things that have to take place and you were afraid to ask about.

[wanswheel]

 

Excerpt from An Automated Train Dispatching System (for SEPTA) (1994) https://vdocuments.site/ieee-ieeeasme-joint-railroad-conference-chicago-il-usa-22-24-march-1994-58c4963d2c71d.html    The Automated Train Dispatching System (ATDS) is a computerized fault tolerant train schedule tracking and status information system…This system replaces existing manual paper train sheets used to record and monitor train movements with electronic based media….Train Dispatchers use a manual recording system to track train passing times at towers, control points or other "On Sheet" locations (on sheet or "OS" refers to the actual train passing time recorded on paper by the Tower Operator.) Model boards in each of the towers show by light indications the position (by block signal) of each train on the system. At present, the system lacks an automatic train identification system. As a result, once a Tower Operator sees an indication on the model board he must note the time of day, consult the schedule, decide the train number or designation and record this information on a "Train Sheet". The most common method of communication between the towers and the RROC is the telephone. Recording procedures and communication mechanisms now in use diminish the decision making opportunities of tower operators and train dispatchers since they spend more time processing paperwork than in monitoring and controlling trains… A sampling of the present manual paperwork process that the new system will "automate" includes:  The Train Sheet - "Record of Train Movement" - is the master or base document of the system. It contains the time a train arrives and departs by control points, the reasons for delays, unusual occurrences, track number, weather conditions, engine number, consist information and lists any extra movements, i.e., freight trains, track cars, etc. The average train sheet has over 2,200 hand entries and is about 1.25 meters wide by 5 meters long. Form "Ds" are "Orders" issued to direct train movements, whenever exceptions to normal operation occur. It may be necessary to send the Form Ds to a certain train or group of trains. Other important forms are: BDA/BDR (Blocking Device Applied/Removed) - Blocking device applied is a device placed on the model board to prevent a Tower Operator from throwing a particular switch to remove a BDA. C&S 39 - Takes the crossing protection system "Out of Service." The engineers (train operators) must then follow certain speed instructions… TPR (Traction Power Request) - a form used to remove the traction power (11Kv and 22Kv). Train Station Line Up - lists the order in which trains come into a station… A summary of salient problems with the present manual system follows: Time Requirements - The system is time consuming as many phone calls are required. Accuracy depends on repeating and recording verbal messages and correction if necessary.  Labor Requirements - The manual operation is labor intensive. Tower Operators, Dispatchers and Delay Clerks handwrite in thousands of entries each day. Information Accuracy - Thousands of verbal messages sometimes result in errors.  Efficiency of Communications - Calls are passed along the line of towers for all trains, freights, track cars, and test vehicles, etc.  Level of Complexity - The system is cumbersome as there is a lot of paper everywhere, train sheets, form Ds, signal out notices, etc. There are over twenty-five forms in all.  Timeliness of Data - Entries are not always current. Sometimes they are 30 to 45 minutes old. Dispatchers call tower operators with train arrival and departure times at selected intervals. These phone calls may be delayed.  Dissemination of Information - Transmission of information is slow especially in emergencies when it is needed the most. Phone traffic peaks during an emergency. This makes it even more difficult to update train times while addressing the emergency.

[NDG]

 

 

Thank You.

[BaltACD]

NDG

" OS ! "

 

http://www.shorpy.com/node/23196?size=_original#caption 

Thank You.

First time I have seen a Seth Thomas clock with all the minutes identified on the dial.

[Overmod]

BaltACD

First time I have seen a Seth Thomas clock with all the minutes identified on the dial.

That is not your normal Seth Thomas clock.  I will find some regulator time-service references later.   Note that it does NOT appear to be one of those fancy electronically-synchronized time systems because the small panel at the bottom shows the deviation as for a ship chronometer, but updated for quick reference as needed.

You may not have seen Seth Thomas 23j railroad watches, either.  They were some of the very best.

[NDG]

 

Thank You.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

BaltACD

NDG

" OS ! "

 

http://www.shorpy.com/node/23196?size=_original#caption 

Thank You.

First time I have seen a Seth Thomas clock with all the minutes identified on the dial.

"Santa Fe Railway System Standard Dial" and "Santa Fe STANDARD CLOCK".

[Overmod]

NDG

At Time Change locations, CPR used one long case clock with TWO T-W-O 2 Hour Hands.   One hand RED, the other Gun Metal BLUE.

Railroad crews operating across time zones sometimes used the same approach on their watches - I have seen the hour hands in question called 'Fort Wayne' and sometimes the 'red' hand is gold instead of painted (which goes better with the heat bluing finish on the other hands).

One significant reason for this is that railroaders cannot open or set their own watches (only time service people can do that) and this would apply even to a 'jump hour' control like the one on some Accutrons.  So the watch would be set so the hands matched the 'earlier' and 'later' zones and the crew would remember which was which for reference.

I have seen a small number of railroad-approved wristwatches with these (B.W.Raymonds and one Swiss Ball TrainMaster that might have been a custom retrofit) but they are rare.  This likely coincides with the great dieback of long-distance passenger trains coinciding with the (gradual) replacement of approved pocket watches with their wrist equivalents.

[BaltACD]

I own a former B&O Station Seth Thomas clock that I got from my Father.  It has a normal clock face.  I also got his railroad Boulava Railroad Accutron that had two hour hands.  The Accutron my parents got for me for my 21st birthday only has a single hour hand.  

When I was a Train Order Operator, every day at Noon Eastern Time a signal was sent over the telegraph wire from the Naval Observatory that the station colock was to be checked with and any deviation noted.

Current day, CSX operates on CSX Time - no matter the civilian time zones that may be involved.  CSX Time is Eastern - Standard or Daylight as may be in effect at any time.  I suspect, in today's computerized world, other carriers are operating on a single time, despite what the civilian time may be.