To expand upon the earlier response: "tell-tales" were installed
above tracks on approachs to any low overhead that might knock a
brakemman from the top of a freight car. You would see them as you
approached tunnels, bridges or overhangs in industrial complexes.
When brakemen stopped riding car tops (due to an FRA rule allowing
RR's to do away with roofwalks in the 70's), RR's stopped
maintaining rhe tell-tales and by removal or disuse they
disappeared. I know of a couple on abandoned ROW's, As described
(ea RR had a 'standard' design as they did for everything trackside)
they were rope or leather cords suspended from a bar extending from
a pole or from a line suspended between 2 poles. The cords would
strike the brakeman as the train passed thru (but not hard enough to
knock him off!). I have the Q standard at home that shows how far
the tell-tale was to be from the obstruction, length of the cords,
etc. These are seldom modeled and are appropriate into the 70's and
as I mentioned, still exist on some old ROW's. I know the one by
the east (south by compass) portal of the IC tunnel in E. Dbq was
there into the 60's.
As an aside, the last time I saw a RR'er riding atop a moving train
(as opposed to walking standing ones to service hopper covers) was a
CGW freight thru Waverly, IA in "66 or "67. Why he was there I have
no idea as there were no retainers to set or release on a level line.
Gerald
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