wjstix The Conductor was the 'captain' or commander of the train.
The Conductor was the 'captain' or commander of the train.
True but very incomplete. The conductor was responsible for safety of train and crew, jointly with engineer, but conductor had the last word. Unless he was in passenger service, this included figuring out where to clear up for superior trains.
The conductor was responsible for the business functions of the train. That correct cars were set out our picked up. That cars in local service were pulled and spotted to the correct locations as indicated by the Station Agent's switch list. That waybills for loads to a station were delivered to the agend and that waybills from each station were picked up and delivered to the appropriate party at the end of each trip. The conductor also wrote out the "Wheel Report" a list, in train order that showed every car handled on each trip.
If he had a comptent rear brakeman the conductor gave him the information about what cars from the train went where and a copy of the Agent's switch list and let the brakeman figure out his moves. If the rear brakeman was new or not very bright, the conductor had to directly manage, and participate in, the switching himself. He also had to keep the crew's time slip and the delay report. In short the conductor on a local had plenty to occupy his mind, and often his feet.
Mac McCulloch
This reminds me of an article by the late John Crosby in TRAINS. He mentioned an especially good conductor in local service who seemed to have cars going in every possible direction at the same time but when the switching was done, everything was where it was supposed to be and you could go home.
"Conductor, conductor,
Captain of the train.
Head is in a phone box,
His butt out in the rain."
Obviously dates before wide spread use of direct radio communication between trains and dispatchers.
Jeff
Deggesty Randy, as you say, "In many places...." These men whom I knew drove seventy miles together to go to work, and then drove seventy miles together to go back home.
Randy, as you say, "In many places...." These men whom I knew drove seventy miles together to go to work, and then drove seventy miles together to go back home.
One place was the Bangor and Aroostook bunkhouses. The doors to the engine service and train service were CLEARLY marked.
CP rail was the same on the shortline. The train service crews and engine service crews stayed at separate bunkhouses. Of course they would socialize at the YMCA while waiting for a call but otherwise they were very separate .
By the time I started on the Southern, we were staying in hotels at the away terminals. However, the older fellows spoke of the engineers having their own shack near Dundee yard in Danville,Va. One had to be one of the "Bluebloods" to stay there. I'm not even certain that firemen were welcome. Probably not. Conductors stayed on their assigned "cabs" for the most part. I gathered that many of the brakemen made arrangements at some of the local homes in the vicinity of "Tibbets crossing", renting rooms or playing house with some of the local belles.
On the RF&P we stayed in a bunkhouse in the middle of Pot Yard. The whole crew stayed in the same room with five cots seperated by partitions similar to those dividing stalls in a restroom. Many of the oldtimers snored, so it was best to get to sleep before they did!
Everyone got along really well, regardless of craft. Perhaps because the RF&P was such a great outfit to work for. There was a big kitchen on the first floor where some of those old gentlemen would cook up some excellent grubb. This was generally a communal affair, with everyone pitching in to pay for the groceries and frequently more than one crew breaking bread together. Refreshments could sometimes be partaken discreately back in the locker room. It was rare not to have a card game in session outside of mealtimes. When we left the bunkhouse, in the early 80's, alot of the social fabric broke down. It was certainly nice to have your own room, with a private bathroom and a TV, but now we could no longer cook meals together, card games became more of a private affair and often you only saw your own crew during the away stay. Guess that's called progress!
The answer is yes.
Isn't it amazing how our young readers do not know the many functions of a caboose. How times have changed for operating procedures.. Example markers changed to just a rear end device.
You're question. Lifting a car can be used to describe pulling a car from a spot or making a pickup. If that doesn't help, I normally answer 4.
SLOCONDRIs that an eastern RR term? Here on the left coast one would not know what you are talking about.
Never heard of 'lifting' a car on the East Coast or Mid-West for that matter.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Used to hear it once in a while in the east on B&O and former PRR, but it wasn't very common. If you used it everybody would know what you meant. "pull", "pickup" and "remove" were more commonly used.
IIRC "lifting" rail cars is a British term for pull or pickup.
Mac
DSO17 Used to hear it once in a while in the east on B&O and former PRR, but it wasn't very common. If you used it everybody would know what you meant. "pull", "pickup" and "remove" were more commonly used.
Only reference, in my 50+ year career, I have ever heard of lifting, was by passenger (and Pullman) conductors 'lifting' the passengers tickets. Only other reference to 'lifting' was in 'lifting the pin', when making couplings with old style couplers where operating the cut lever actually lifted the coupler lock from the top of the coupler body.
Now that you mention it, we never use "lifting" for picking up cars. Almost always "pull". I guess I heard it growing up on the Pennsy. Hard to tell the source for the voices in my head, sometimes!
blue streak 1 Isn't it amazing how our young readers do not know the many functions of a caboose. How times have changed for operating procedures.. Example markers changed to just a rear end device.
The old joke I have always hear was...the acronym F.R.E.D.(flashing red end device).....the "F" stood for another word.
Imagine 2 guys and a 25 foot car being replaced by a light at the end of the last train car.
We always said pulling the pin, but, then again, I'm only at 37 years. Maybe they'll say something different next year!
Several years ago there was a long (and somewhat vehement) discussion (argument) when someone used the term "Pulling the pin" to mean uncoupling and a couple of 'real railroaders' took him to task for such an error in terminology. It took several days before some other "real railroaders' came on and said that was what they always said when uncoupling cars. Seems as though it was a difference in region or RR "dialect".
I suspect the same may be true here. "Lifting a car" may very well mean fetching it from a customers track... somewhat an allusion to "lifting" as a term meaning "stealing" (lifting a wallet/purse, etc,)... as though the crew is taking a car from the customer's track at night when the business is closed so it looks like they are stealing it.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
More topic drift: Many years ago, some men were hired off the former Rock Island. They were all very experienced men, some having hired on the Rock before I was born. The first night I worked with one of the switchmen, he gave me car counts by lantern. I had never seen that before! When he started flicking his light, I just stopped. On the Southern and on the RF&P the brakey always just steadied you up with his light at arms length (sometimes overhead, sometimes off to the side) and waved you down when he judged your stopping ability would meet his needs. When I was a brakeman, some engineers could read hand signals beautifully. Others, not so much.
Growing up around the PRR/PC, I never saw anyone count the engineer down by light, either.
Thoughts or observations?
rfpjohnThoughts or observations?
We often use hand signals for our switching moves, especially if we have another train in the area. And sometimes just because they're kinda cool and retro.
Several methods have come into use to indicate distances. If I'm directing a move, I'll sometimes just show a couple of fingers to indicate "two cars," then one for "one car." Others will do a fist pump - one per car length.
There are those who will flash two full hands (ten fingers) for each ten feet to a hitch. I don't like the method because if I blink (as engineer) I'm off by ten feet...
I often use a touch to the waist for "half car." For the last 15 feet (which is most critical), I'll generally use my arms like a clock - starting at 15 "til" for 15 feet.
Sometimes (depending on the engineer), I'll just keep making the ahead or back up signal smaller and smaller, indicating to slow down.
RFPJohn mentions the "official" method for "slow down" - an arm directly out to the side.
In the end, it comes down to the sender (on the ground) and the sendee (the engineer) understanding what information is being conveyed. And if the engineer doesn't understand, he/she does the right thing - stops until it's figured out what it all means.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
SLOCONDRAnd again it all comes down to not only regional RR'ing, but also regions on even on one RR. Example: On the Pacific Electric we used one set of hand signals and the SP used variances of those signals. That was on that Los Angeles Div. When I moved out of LA and went up the SP coast, to San Luis Obispo, the signals in SLO were quite different than LA. and it took a little while to familiarize myself wqith those signs. V SLOCONDR
You might see variations in hand signals even at the same location: In Baltimore, PC/Conrail trainmen used different hand signals when shifting with the street tractors. I was told the signals originated back when they used horses to pull the cars around.
I have worked on multiple divisions of the same carrier.
The differences in the way each division conducted its business were astounding.
Divisions were separated by a common rule book.
When each geographical area is left to grapple with their own local problems they will develop their own solutions - which most likely will be different from the solution to the same problem at a different geographical area.
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