Road engines coupled to trains had air, steam and communicating cable connections that were somewhat time consuming to take apart and put back together. Add to that the steam lines could not be disconnected until the steam was shut off to the line and the couplings cooled a little and the reason becomes clear. Too much delay.
Work rules prevented road crews from doing switching, and hostlers are only permitted to move locomotives without cars. Depot switchers frequently worked local industries in between passenger trains, so the crews were put to good use.
Not every line used Alcos; they just seemed to get assigned a lot. The early Alco switchers were low horsepower and if not good for the demands of a busy freight yard, were ideally suited to passenger duty as long as the engineers didn't get too rambunctious with the throttle, as the Alcos would throw tremendous amounts of oily smoke into the sky.
4merroad4man wrote: Work rules prevented road crews from doing switching, and hostlers are only permitted to move locomotives without cars. Depot switchers frequently worked local industries in between passenger trains, so the crews were put to good use.
The way it should be
Don't forget tne need to switch the head end. Mail cars had to go to the Post Office; express to the REA or RR LCL shed. Also, through Pullamn (or coach) were moved to the next train. Some RR even removed the Diner half way thru the run to be tacked on to the return train. And if the train was running through, the road locos were busy being serviced (fuel, water), or being swapped out or helpers added.
Phil
Timber Head Eastern Railroad "THE Railroad Through the Sierras"
THE.RR wrote: Don't forget tne need to switch the head end. Mail cars had to go to the Post Office; express to the REA or RR LCL shed. Also, through Pullamn (or coach) were moved to the next train. Some RR even removed the Diner half way thru the run to be tacked on to the return train. And if the train was running through, the road locos were busy being serviced (fuel, water), or being swapped out or helpers added.Phil
And if the train was entering or leaving the South a "Jim Crow" car would be added or removed.
Two of the busiest switchers I can remeber were the one NP and one GN assigned to King St. in Seattle. First thing in the AM they had to get the two GN locals from Holgate St. to King St. Station One train was to Portland the other to Vancouver one of the Internationals. Then within a 45 minute period four transcontinental trains arrived two NP the North Coast Limited and Mainstreeter and two GN the Empire Builder and Western Star. The first order of business was to get the North Coast Limited and Empire Builder Wyed which was about five miles from the Station. After these two trains were wyed they were brought back to Holgate Coach yard where they went through the washer first then were spotted for cleaning in the coach yard for there afternoon departures. There mail cars were taken to the post office annex. about two miles south of King St.
Any Express cars that came in on the two secondary transcontinentals were spotted at the Railway Express Agency track at King St. Station. Next the two switchers took there respective secondary transcontinentals to be wyed then returned to Holgate for washing and cleaning.Both of these trains usually had bulk mail cars that had to be taken to the Post Office annex The NP switcher then brought the NP Portland train to King St. ready for its late morning departure. The GN switcher would be switching any cars that needed wheels replaced to the wheel shop south of Holgate.
The first GN International arrived at King St. and it was immediatly taken to be wyed and through the washer and back to King St for departure as the Noon International.
Next it was the NP North Coast Limited that was brought to King St. after having picked up it's RPO first from the Post Office Annex. Just after the North Coast Limited departed the UP train from Portland arrived at Union Station with four SP sleeping cars from the Cascade on the rear or just ahead of the dome observation if it operated that day. The UP switcher pushed the four SP sleepers under the fourth Ave Viaduct that separated King St. Station from Union Station. After the North Coast Limited departed the NP switcher then picked up the four SP sleepers and wyed them then back to Holgate where they were washed and made ready for departure on tomorrows departure of the NP Pool train for Portland and transfer to the rear of the next days Cascade departing Portland for Oakland.
The GN switcher next went to the Post Office Annex and picked up the Empire Builder RPO then brought the complete train to King St. Station for its afternoon departure.
These were two of the busiest passenger switchers I can remember and that was only part of there day I have related.
Al - in - Stockton
Remember too that at some stations the road engines were replaced - for example GN and NP trains going east to Chicago had to back into St. Paul Union Depot and leave their train there so Burlington engines could be hooked up to take the train the rest of the way to Chicago.
Plus as noted, union work rules came into play. I think it was the NP had a spot where they stopped and added or dropped off a car (I think an RPO or mail storage car?) at a station in ND or western MN. They tried having the road crew do it with their engines at first. It saved time, but NP found out that they then had to pay the crew for two day's work - since they were both running a mainline train and doing switching work within a designated yard area. So what they ended up doing was: the train would come to a stop and a switcher would come out and pull the front of the train (engines and all) from the main part of the train and do the switching, then put everything back together so the train could continue.
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