A warm, fusee feeling...

[CShaveRR]

Fusees were always in plentiful supply at the yard offices where I worked. Yellow fusees were not...I think their use may not have been called for in certain rulebooks (GTW carried both red and yellow, CNW had only red).

Until I worked for CNW, I had never seen a five-minute fusee. Those were to be used in suburban territory, probably to lessen the possibility of delaying commuter trains (CNW was always proud of its suburban service and the public image of same). One time when I was still fairly new to the railroad, an engineer (this was a yard job) handed me a five-minute fusee and told me that when I'd been there a little longer he'd let me use the big ones.

When I had the occasion to use them in flagging (dropping one off the hind-end of a slow-moving train) I was able to hold it the proper length of time before tossing it, and never had one go out on me. When I was actually signaling with them, every so often I'd get stung by a spark or whatever from them, but nothing I couldn't just shake off. I was surprised, though, to see how many burn-holes there were in my clothes after I'd been working with them.

I heard a tale about one of our engineers complaining about the lack of visibility of a switchman's lamp signals (whether he was holding the lamp wrong or whatever). The next time the brakeman was on the step of the Geep, he broke out a fusee instead. The engineer was, putting it mildly, a trifle upset...enough to get out of the cab and chase this guy down the lead. I was never told of an aftermath, but I'm sure there was one. (When I was told the story, the emphasis was placed on the rather large engineer's being out of shape from sitting in the cab, but I can't imagine nothing happening, because there was work to be done.)

The most unorthodox use of fusees I can recall was to light up the ends of freight cars in our hump yard at Proviso during foggy conditions. There were times when the fog would roll in so thick that you couldn't see the cars in the track, and also couldn't see the lights on the switches you had to throw (Proviso was then--and still is, at least for now--the only major classification yard in the country where switches were thrown by the Car Retarder Operators, who also had to set up and control their own retarders without the benefit of any electronic assistance). If I were working one of the lower towers in conditions like this, and couldn't convince the powers that be that it was totally unsafe to be humping in this s--t, I'd occasionally tell them to "light one up for me", and they'd put a fusee on the hind end of the car. I knew where my switches were, even if I couldn't see the light by the points, and I'd watch the hind end of the car (or, rather, the lit fusee on the hind end) go past the point, wait a couple of seconds, and throw the switch when necessary. I'd also be listening for the car to hit in the track, so I could tell whether it was in the clear, and about how many more cars I could count on the track to hold. I'm proud to say that I never had a mishap doing things this way...others weren't always so lucky, and some didn't get the hang of it at all. Toward the end of my career things became a bit more safety-minded, and foggy days or nights would more likely curtail the operation, or make us resort to things like shoving cars to rest on the tracks.

Someone else may provide the joke about fusees with the following punch-line:
"I'm just glad he didn't ask me if I lit 'em!"

[Deggesty]

CShaveRR

Fusees were always in plentiful supply at the yard offices where I worked. Yellow fusees were not...I think their use may not have been called for in certain rulebooks (GTW carried both red and yellow, CNW had only red).

Until I worked for CNW, I had never seen a five-minute fusee. Those were to be used in suburban territory, probably to lessen the possibility of delaying commuter trains (CNW was always proud of its suburban service and the public image of same). One time when I was still fairly new to the railroad, an engineer (this was a yard job) handed me a five-minute fusee and told me that when I'd been there a little longer he'd let me use the big ones.

When I had the occasion to use them in flagging (dropping one off the hind-end of a slow-moving train) I was able to hold it the proper length of time before tossing it, and never had one go out on me. When I was actually signaling with them, every so often I'd get stung by a spark or whatever from them, but nothing I couldn't just shake off. I was surprised, though, to see how many burn-holes there were in my clothes after I'd been working with them.

I heard a tale about one of our engineers complaining about the lack of visibility of a switchman's lamp signals (whether he was holding the lamp wrong or whatever). The next time the brakeman was on the step of the Geep, he broke out a fusee instead. The engineer was, putting it mildly, a trifle upset...enough to get out of the cab and chase this guy down the lead. I was never told of an aftermath, but I'm sure there was one. (When I was told the story, the emphasis was placed on the rather large engineer's being out of shape from sitting in the cab, but I can't imagine nothing happening, because there was work to be done.)

The most unorthodox use of fusees I can recall was to light up the ends of freight cars in our hump yard at Proviso during foggy conditions. There were times when the fog would roll in so thick that you couldn't see the cars in the track, and also couldn't see the lights on the switches you had to throw (Proviso was then--and still is, at least for now--the only major classification yard in the country where switches were thrown by the Car Retarder Operators, who also had to set up and control their own retarders without the benefit of any electronic assistance). If I were working one of the lower towers in conditions like this, and couldn't convince the powers that be that it was totally unsafe to be humping in this s--t, I'd occasionally tell them to "light one up for me", and they'd put a fusee on the hind end of the car. I knew where my switches were, even if I couldn't see the light by the points, and I'd watch the hind end of the car (or, rather, the lit fusee on the hind end) go past the point, wait a couple of seconds, and throw the switch when necessary. I'd also be listening for the car to hit in the track, so I could tell whether it was in the clear, and about how many more cars I could count on the track to hold. I'm proud to say that I never had a mishap doing things this way...others weren't always so lucky, and some didn't get the hang of it at all. Toward the end of my career things became a bit more safety-minded, and foggy days or nights would more likely curtail the operation, or make us resort to things like shoving cars to rest on the tracks.

Someone else may provide the joke about fusees with the following punch-line:
"I'm just glad he didn't ask me if I lit 'em!"

Carl, that's interesting. Seldom have I seen a fusee in use.

The system I now use has an ignorant spellchecker; it does not recognize "fusee" as being a word, and wants to make it "fuse," and I have to correct it.

Do you have to set the font and type size every time I post so what you post can be easily read? Or, is there some way to set what you like and have it come up when you make a post?

[CShaveRR]

Johnny, I set it that way with each and every post, darn it!  Size 4, Georgia.

[Murphy Siding]

     I talked to an old, retired brakeman one time about fusees.  He told of a time that he was on a Milwaukee Road local, that was headed 20 miles up the river valley to pick up cars at a quarry.  Some flamboyant  member of the crew was showing off in the caboose, and lit a cigar off of a fusee.  He then pitched the fusee into a wide, slow running creek as they passed over a wooded trestle.

     On their way back to town, down the river valley, they had to stop, as the local volunteer fire department was putting out a grass fire around the wooden trestle.

    

[BaltACD]

In days gone by, we had a industry job that had to shove from the yard down several main highways in town to service their industries.  Crew would shove out of the yard with a caboose on the lead end of the shove.  The caboose would be 'lit up' by a number of fusees - both yellow and red - crew would use about a case of fusees every other night.  The shove was about 4 miles along multiple highly trafficked city streets. 

Two nights before Christmas one year a drunk in a Ford station wagon (back end filled with Christmas presents), passenger seat footwell filled with empty beer cans drove head-on into the coupler on the end of the caboose, despite the caboose being lit by a dozen or more fuesees.  It was not a Merry Christmas for all involved.

[NKP guy]

It's been a while since I've thought about fusees.  Of all places, the Shaker Heights Rapid Transit Lines' PCC's all carried several red fusees and track torpedos in the under-dash compartments, along with a chain, a rope, and green and white canvas signal flags.  I saw fusees used only once in actual service, when there was a derailment.  A few times on fantrips the motormen allowed us teenagers to light a fusee on a layover just so we could see how it worked.  I don't think the motormen knew quite when to use them as the fusees were always covered in years of grime.  I wonder what company used to manufacture fusees?

Even more fun was when the motormen would let us place one or two torpedos on the track, especially in the SHRT tunnels.  They were impressive!

Fusees and torpedos.  What's become of them?

[tree68]

As a firefighter, I've lit dozens, even hundreds of fusees.  Generally they are of the 20 minute variety, and you can tell how long we've been there by how many "butts" there are...

Fusees are a favorite for efficiency tests (and are mentioned as such in the rules).  I have yet to face one myself (as an engineer), but have been on several trains that did.

Since we're running passenger trains, we use lighted EOT devices, so no need for them there, and the largest portion of our trips are daylight anyhow.  Occasionally we'll have to secure an unsignalled crossing for some reason, and the five minute fusees are handy there.

Have yet to handle a torpedo, and unless I'm at a museum, I doubt I ever will.

Does remind me of the story I once read about the fellows who decided to play a trick on a section foreman by placing several torpedos in a row so he'd hit them with his speeder.  Hit them he did, and they apparently nearly overturned the speeder (or did - memory fails me there).  There was heck to pay that day...

[Deggesty]

Carl, I prefer Times New Roman and, definitely, 14 point. It is bothersome to have to remember to set it properly each time.

In May of '59, I rode the Carolina Special from Statesville to Asheville, and enjoyed the view from the rear vestibule, especially between Old Fort and Ridgecrest. At one stop, we picked up a group of grammar school children who were being given the treat of riding a train. One of them saw the open-top box of fusees that was fastened to the vestibule gate, and exclaimed, "Look at the dynamite!" Perhaps I should have tried to enlighten him, but I did not.

[DSO17]

NKP guy

 I wonder what company used to manufacture fusees?

     IIRC Standard Railway Fusee Corp. in Boonton NJ supplied a lot of them.

[henry6]

There were quite a few companies, in fact.  I remember one in Boonton, NJ on the DL&W and used by the DL&W as they were loyal to on line customers as much as possible  Red, yellow,and green fusees were available in five and 10 minute versions.  The company also made fusees for automobiles and police agencies.

[jeffhergert]

Fusees are still required to be carried on the engines in flagging kits.  Besides officers using them for efficiency tests, they are used by crews mostly for flagging crossings or marking the end of a car when shoving a track at night.  

One time when switching an industry that was bisected by a public street, I put out some fusees in the center of the street to get the attention of any vehicle traffic.  We would arrange two or three 10 minute fusees so that as one burned down, the next would "fall" into the fire and self-ignite.  I was riding the shove back towards the crossing (We still protected all moves over the crossing, the fusees were just added warning.  Just so no one gets the idea of us lazy railroaders not doing what's required.)  A white Jeep pulled up, the exact color and type that at the time company officers drove.  I expected we were going to be tested.  Until someone got out of the back seat, picked up a burning fusee, got back in and held it out the open back door window.  Off they drove down the street, someone holding the still burning fusee out the window.  This would've been around 2 am.  Coincidently, just about the time the bars were closing.  

The only time I've had to use a fusee for flagging purposes was on the Boone & Scenic Valley.  On weekends there was (and still is) a case of two trains, one following the other by 10 minutes back into Boone.  I was brakeman on the first train once when we heard the second train call the depot (normal procedure) that they were on the high bridge on the trip home.  We were on time, but they were about 5 minutes ahead of theirs.  We were going to have to stop to get a switch on the edge of town and by the time we did so, he would really be crowding us.  So I dropped off a burning fusee.  (The young car attendant got a real kick out of me doing this.)  So the engineer of the following train wouldn't panic and dump the air on his train, I got on the radio and told him to watch out for a burning fusee about MP X.  He replied, "What do you want me to do? Stop?"  Our engineer said, "No, just slow down."  Once back in, the chief mechanic/track foreman complimented me for doing this.  He totally approved and wished others would do the same in similar situations.  He thought some of the steam engineers ran a little too hot and needed a little dose of reality from time to time.

Jeff

   

[CShaveRR]

I did that "stacking" of fusees once when flagging on the Lake Sub up north of the city.  I think it worked for one, and then I was called back in.

What was really funny was that this method of flagging was given as one of the wrong answers on the old multiple-choice rule tests that we'd get on CNW.  (Fortunately for me, I knew that this method wasn't in the books...)

[tree68]

I like Comic Sans in 12 point - it's just different...

Knew a local sheriff who told a story involving the spike that used to be in the end of all of our flares/fusees (now they have a wire that folds down into legs, or can be made into a handle or hanger).

Seems he planned to spike the fusee into a roadside tree so it would be more visible.  Somehow he got his glove into the mix (and fortunately not his hand) and ended up stuck to the tree.

I usually have some in my truck, just in case.  Unfortunately, they're 20 minute versions - we're almost always on scenes like that for a lot longer than five minutes...

[rfpjohn]

The first time I ever used a fuse(e) was as a "cub" brakeman, newly hired on the Southern Railway. I was on the head end of train 23, the night local freight returning from West Point,Va. Approaching 14th street in Richmond ( a very busy crossing), the standard practice was for the engineer to pinch it down to 7-8mph and the head brakeman would launch himself off the front step, lantern and fuse(e)(stupid spell check) in hand, and sprint for the crossing. I had seen this "safety first" maneuver performed the previous trips I'd made, so I convinced the head man to let me handle it. I made my way out the long hood end, climbed down to the bottom step, grasped the fuse(e) and promptly broke it in half! They don't light well in that condition! Fortunately the head brakeman had followed me out of the cab and was able to provide much needed assistance. He was a really nice fellow. Outside of laughing at my error, he didn't ride me very hard and did provide me with a valuable lesson in lighting one of those buggers.

As for torpedoes, they've been gone quite a few years. After I left the Southern and dark territory and went to the RF&P, about the only thing we used them for was to play pranks on unsuspecting crew members. One day I was working an industry job in Richmond. We were returning cab lite form the ABC warehouse. The conductor instructed me to stop behind the old stock yards and take a brake. Didn't want to get back to the yard too early. The brakeman went back on the caboose with the "captain" and I was left to my own devices (3 man crew on those jobs). After getting sufficiently bored, I thought the best use of my time would be to place 8 torpedoes directly in front of each wheel of the caboose. I accomplished this maneuver without detection. In due time, the radio cackled that it was time to head for the yard. The blast was magnificent! Loud from my vantage point, in the hack it was Hiroshima! As we were all young guys, this was just another day of activities which would get you soooo... fired in todays railroad world.

[Deggesty]

rfpjohn, after I correct my spellchecker twice, it decides that I am hopeless--until the next time. Of course, it has no idea to know what to do with your screen name.

Yes, Larry, your choice of type is different. And, I wonder if Balt has to select blue text color every time.

[AgentKid]

CShaveRR

The most unorthodox use of fusees I can recall was to light up the ends of freight cars in our hump yard at Proviso during foggy conditions.

In Canada, in the winter, that technique would be far from unorthodox. Not only was that done in yards during snowstorms or fog, in that weather it was done switching elevators in small towns. If there were a number of moves involved the crew would always mark any stationary cars, just so they knew where they were and therefore be able to work just a bit quicker. As a kid, even in daytime I can recall seeing crews use fusees in the winter, when hand signals might not be clearly seen.

Reading on another thread about the variety of whistle signals that there used to be, brought back memories of hearing some of those during winter operations as well, when visibility would be bad.

For a number of years Dad used to carry three fusees, that had spikes in the end, in the trunk of our car. Eventually, I think after watching too many westerns with story lines involving unstable dynamite that had gotten wet, he went out into the back alley and burned them off, and bought one of those yellow safety triangles instead.

Bruce

[zugmann]

jeffhergert

Until someone got out of the back seat, picked up a burning fusee, got back in and held it out the open back door window.  Off they drove down the street, someone holding the still burning fusee out the window.  This would've been around 2 am.  Coincidently, just about the time the bars were closing.  

I've had that happen with kids on bikes.  It was about 3am, small town USA, and we lit up the road crossings on an old industrial line we had to shove back on to get to a customer.  These crossings, protected only by crossbucks, included two state highways. Even though mostly deserted at that time of night, the few cars that did exist disregarded any speed limits.   So we used the fusees to flag ourselves across, and after the train passed, 2 teens/kids on bikes picked them up and took off. 

Again, small town.  Gave them about 4 minutes of enjoyment, I guess.  More power to them.

I also used the stacking technique on a crossing we blocked for a little bit as we did switching moves.  It would work as long as some knucklehead didn't run over the fusees and knock them out of alignment.  Then there was the incident with a fusee and a trackside bush.  That engineer still won't let me use them anymore...

[Semper Vaporo]

I watched a train use a sharp curved connector track to switch a train from an E/W line to a N/S line and the conductor used a Fusee to flag one grade crossing.  When the train was occupying the crossing he tossed the fusee to the curb and went to the head end and the train left.  Right after that a police car drove by and the officer turned on his rooftop lights and blocked the street near the burning fusee. 

I was across the street taking photos of the old train station there.  The policeman came to me and asked what I knew about the "flare in the street".  I explained what I knew about them, which was only that the RR used them as warning devices at unsignaled grade crossings and I pointed at the train still visible to the south.

I don't think he believed anything I said.  He was, by my way of reading his demeanor, near to arresting ME for leaving the flare in the gutter of the street in the dry leaves (one twig with about 3 leaves!).  Why didn't I stop the RR from leaving the flare in the street... um... I was 1/2 block away, it was none my business; they know what they are doing; there was a moving train between me and the conductor what did it... lotsa reasons!

Another police car showed up and that officer seemed to have seen the situation before, but I was still "ordered" to leave the area.

I will admit that I was not too sure of the sensibility of leaving a burning object on an Asphalt street... I have heard of (but not sure I believe it) people setting fire to their residential street by burning leaves in the gutter in the autumn, but I would think that a fusee would be a much hotter and more concentrated fire that could do the same.

 

[rfpjohn]

When I worked for the Southern back in the late 70's, regular practice, when pulling out of a siding after a train meet, was for the head brakeman to leave a lit fusee at the switch stand. This was so the flagman had a good reference for counting down carlengths on the caboose radio to the engineer before dropping off to close up. This was on trains 145 and 146 the "thru freights" (glorified locals) between Richmond and Danville, Va. On these jobs the conductor rode the head end, as there was considerable work to do enroute. One night we were on train 145, westbound. We had just met 146 at Keysville. As head brakeman, I had dutifully stood and watched 146 by from the ground and then opened up to let us out. As the engine approached, I lit a fusee and dropped it by the switch then caught the step. As we pulled out, the flagman started counting us down, when he saw the fusee. When he got down to about 3 cars he announced "going outside".  This meant he was going to drop off the rear caboose step, close the switch and run to catch the cab ( the flagman didn't have a walky-talky). The next transmission would normally be "all lined up!" and we would pick up to track speed.

This particular night, after "going outside " we heard nothing further for too long a time. The engineer stopped the train and we attempted to raise the flagman on the radio. He finally responded, after quite a while. Seems that my thoughtfully placed fusee had ignited some dry grass in the vicinity of the switchstand and, in the process of stomping out said blaze, our brave flagman had managed to set his pants on fire!  Bringing multiple crisis's under control within the normal time expected for a man to close a switch was a bit much to ask of this mere mortal. 

 

[Boyd]

What if there is a gas leak after a fusee is lit and left by itself?

[tree68]

Boyd

What if there is a gas leak after a fusee is lit and left by itself?

Same as if there's a gas leak and there's somebody minding the fusee. 

[Schuylkill and Susquehanna]

Semper Vaporo

I watched a train use a sharp curved connector track to switch a train from an E/W line to a N/S line and the conductor used a Fusee to flag one grade crossing.  When the train was occupying the crossing he tossed the fusee to the curb and went to the head end and the train left.  Right after that a police car drove by and the officer turned on his rooftop lights and blocked the street near the burning fusee. 

I was across the street taking photos of the old train station there.  The policeman came to me and asked what I knew about the "flare in the street".  I explained what I knew about them, which was only that the RR used them as warning devices at unsignaled grade crossings and I pointed at the train still visible to the south.

I don't think he believed anything I said.  He was, by my way of reading his demeanor, near to arresting ME for leaving the flare in the gutter of the street in the dry leaves (one twig with about 3 leaves!).  Why didn't I stop the RR from leaving the flare in the street... um... I was 1/2 block away, it was none my business; they know what they are doing; there was a moving train between me and the conductor what did it... lotsa reasons!

Another police car showed up and that officer seemed to have seen the situation before, but I was still "ordered" to leave the area.

I will admit that I was not too sure of the sensibility of leaving a burning object on an Asphalt street... I have heard of (but not sure I believe it) people setting fire to their residential street by burning leaves in the gutter in the autumn, but I would think that a fusee would be a much hotter and more concentrated fire that could do the same.

 

I wonder if that police officer also arrests truck drivers for using road flares to protect their broken down semis.

In all honesty, I have the utmost respect for the police.  They provide a vital service, and work long hours.

Still, it is surprising that the police officer did not know about the use of fusees, and thought that you had left the flare there.  The local police provide law enforcement around the railroad and in that specific town, so I would assume that he would have been trained that fusees were used to protect grade crossings, and would have at least seen them used at other crossings.  Then again, how often do you see a train go through an unprotected grade crossing?

It is true that a burning fusee left in a gutter with dry leaves could start a fire.  Fusees are supposed to be left in the middle of the street, and when burning should not be left in a gutter.  A passing car might knock the fusee into the gutter, but that should never happen, since the fusee is a grade crossing protector as long as it is burning.

As for people running off with fusees, they could either be trying to keep a burning object out of the street, or they could just be dumb.

S&S