CGW Yard Loudspeakers

[Anonymous]

I was flippin'-through one of my favorite railroad books the other day on the Chicago Great Western.  It had some photos of the big Oelwein Yard and some of the pictures showed the loudspeakers mounted on posts between the yard tracks that the yardmaster used to communicate with the switch crews.

Did other railroads use this approach to yard communications?  I don't recall seeing loudspeakers in yard photos taken before the use of radios.  I'd have to believe this wasn't terribly efficient what with the noise in a diesel cab or worse in the case of a steam engine.  I imagine there must've been some way for the switch crew to acknowledge their receipt & understanding of the message (whistle?  flag?) or the yardmaster would repeat the instructions?

[Anonymous]

The Milwaukee used them at Pig's Eye Yard.  They were two-way units.

[jeffhergert]

It was for contacting the switchmen on the ground.  They were two way, the switchmen could use them to talk to the yardmaster.

I have read references to them before and think they were probably common in most larger yards.  There are still a few standing at places in Omaha and Council Bluffs along the UP.  I doubt that any are still working. 

Jeff

[CShaveRR]

I remember 'way back when Jerry Pinkepank did a feature on GTW's Battle Creek yard (early 1960s) for Trains, this "talkback" system was described in some detail.

Proviso used to have a "yard page" and "hump page" system, either of which would broadcast the yardmaster to a number of loudspeakers out in the yard (as well as to other yard offices). Switchmen could respond by toggling back at any of those speakers. Before radios, this was the way that, for example, hump conductors or yardmasters communicated with their skate men at the opposite end of the yard, or how switchmen would request that tracks be locked up by the hump before they went in to couple them.

The one time I was seriously injured at work, I had to use the page system to get hold of the hump yardmaster, who in turn had to (after a trainmaster was called) talk to another yardmaster, who had to keep the fire-roads open so I could quickly be taken to the hospital (I recall that I'd never seen an IHB train move so quickly out of the way!). Fortunately, the bleeding had stopped by then...

[mudchicken]

From memory where I saw them,

Santa Fe had them (talkbacks) at Pueblo, Argentine, Newton/Sand Creek, Barstow and Hobart/LA...

(The Pueblo talkback was an annoying rascal)

I do not remember seeing evidence of them at Amarillo, San Bernardino A&B Yards, Hutch, Belen, Pico Rivera, Richmond or anywhere else.

[edblysard]

We still call one of our cross overs the "High Speaker" crossover, because it had a big two way speaker high up on a pole...in fact, a lot of the yard speaker poles are still scattered here and there, san speakers of course...

Yard speakers were common.

[ValleyX]

The Nickel Plate/N&W had them different places and the Southern had a few of them, at least.  There were speakers in the old and new portions of Bellevue (OH) yard, at one time, too

[Murphy Siding]

    For what it's worth, many old lumberyards had them as well.  Ours gave up the ghost about 10 years ago.  I think Alexander Graham Bell istalled them.  They were of spool & knob construction.  They were probably hot stuff, back when they were first installed.  You just pressed the button, took a deep breath and yelled  NUMBER SEVEN !!!  into the speaker.  With luck, you'd get a faint response from somebody in the yard.  Oh, the technology!

[cnwfan51]

     I know an ex CGW Official who told me that before they went to those type of speakers , There were two one at each end of the yard . And the people living next to the yard started to complain of both the volume and the langage coming fro them Larry

[Anonymous]

I'm pretty sure most railroads would have used them back in the days before walkie talkies and CBs in locomotives.

[Kootenay Central]

.

[rrnut282]

ValleyX

The Nickel Plate/N&W had them different places and the Southern had a few of them, at least.  There were speakers in the old and new portions of Bellevue (OH) yard, at one time, too

I remember seeing an old newspaper article about East Wayne Yard (between Fort Wayne and New Haven,IN) when it was opened in the 50s.  IIRC the photo accompanying the article had a crewmember framed in a locomotive window with one of the two-way speakers just outside the window.  I don't know if that photo is available on-line.

[wjstix]

St.Paul Union Depot had them to control their trackage for the many trains backing in and heading out. Warren McGee talked about that in one of his presentations, he thought the complexity and intricate timing required with all the train movements was fascinating.

p.s. if you're a CGW fan, Saturday I picked up a copy of John Luecke's new book "More Chicago Great Western in Minnesota". It's very good.

[bajadog]

Ditto SP&S yards at Vancouver and Wishram, WA.

[Pistol Pete]

Had them at Shops Yard in North Fond du Lac. Were present if you really needed them, which was  NOT that often.   Have utilized them them from both ends,  as a switchman and  as a yardmaster.