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Re: Basic reading

To: BRHSlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: Basic reading
From: "liljop" <wulrich@a...>
Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2001 01:31:45 -0000
In-reply-to: <20011223233933.22928.qmail@w...>
User-agent: eGroups-EW/0.82
john,
sorry if i mislead you or anyone, last thing i want to do. was trying 
to answer florians question of:

> There are a lot of things I don't understand. How was the
> dispaching done, did every tower exactly know
> which train would came in next

I made the assumption florian wanted to know how did we know how many 
and what trains were coming our way. sorry for that assumption, my 
error and i apologize to you and the list. 

iirc, lineups went to many people, when clerking the lineup was sent 
via pneumantic tube to yard office from relay office next to 
dispatchers offices, was always at least 3 copies. one for 
yardmaster, one for clerk/callboy and one for yard section gang. 
(unless they had quit for the day or was weekend) sometimes was a 
copy for track rider, if he was there, and if a another gang was tied 
up in the yard and they were going to be on or near the main would be 
a lineup for them also. so depending you could have 3 or more copies 
of it.
have seen if we were short a copy, someone would just write it down, 
don't recall if this was kosher or not, but think was ok. think, and 
am probably wrong, trackrider had to have an original, not a hand 
written copy, does this sound right. the lineup was how yards, 
yardmaster and switch foreman, knew what was coming for working 
trains, for clerk/callboy to inform engine/train crews when they 
called to see "how many times out am i" and second question was 
"whatcha got comin'(of course the lineup ALWAYS HAD THE PROVERBABLE 
EXTRA too) for example afternoon west lineup 78, 2 cd's a cgi and a 
extra west. the extra west never materialized, never. lineups, east 
and west, were always on one sheet, just typewritten with carbon 
copies, about 3 inches wide and 6 to 8 inches long, iirc, west on top 
east on bottom.

if we, yards, wanted to know where, for example, first cd was at, 
would crank the phone and get dispatcher, ask, and he would reply by 
'station name' at 'time.' end of conversation. this definately was 
from the on sheet, as you described.

john, am glad for florian that you went ahead and explained the 
operatop/dispatcher end of it. and john, hope we are not talking two 
different things. (the old apples and oranges thing <grin>

warren



--- In BRHSlist@y..., John Mitchell <cbqrr47@y...> wrote:
> Sorry, but "line ups" were not used exactly this way.
> It is true, that a line up was used to tell track car
> operators when and where to expect trains and engines,
> but the dispatchers used a system of train sheets to
> keep track of the whereabouts of trains based on
> "OS"(on sheet, not out of station as is sometimes
> reported) reports from train order operators. Train
> orders were first written in "Train Order Books" by
> the dispatchers before being transmitted to the train
> order operators for delivery the "C&E", i.e. the
> conductor and engineer. As each station repeated the
> train order, the dispatcher underlined it in the book,
> after which if it had been repeated correctly, it was
> made "complete" and it could be delivered. The CD did
> give lists of trains for the territory of the trick
> dispatchers, but they were not called "Line ups".
> John D. Mitchell, Jr.
> --- liljop <wulrich@a...> wrote:
> > --- In BRHSlist@y..., "Florian Griessenboeck"
> > <florian@v...> wrote:
> > > Where can I find basic information about how theThere are a lot 
of things I don't
> > understand. How 
> > was the
> > > dispaching done, did every tower exactly know
> > which train would 
> > came in next

> > Railroad was 
> > operated in
> > > the pre CTC era? > > > and what had the train crews to decide by
> > themselves, ect. Is there 
> > any
> > > standard reading to teach a greenhorn like me?
> > > Have a merry Christmas!
> > > Florian Griessenboeck
> > 
> > 
> > herr griessenboeck, grossgot,
> > 
> > 
> > will briefly answer you question on dispatching. am
> > sure there are 
> > many list members who will answer in greater detail.
> > 
> > must assume you are asking about 'older railroading'
> > by refering to 
> > pre ctc operations. dispatching was done on a
> > division basis. each 
> > division had a chief dispatcher and shift
> > dispatchers who were 
> > responsable for their part of territory within the
> > division. the 
> > chief dispatcher would issue lineups, lists of
> > trains that were going 
> > to run over his division. these were issued several
> > times a day, 
> > morning lineup, afternoon lineup and evening lineup.
> > this is how the 
> > railroad knew what trains were going to run, what
> > engine number of 
> > the train, so it could be identified and
> > approximately what time it 
> > would run. anyone who was involved with the railroad
> > that was going 
> > to be on or around the track needed to know this.
> > the foremen of 
> > track workers, signalmen, etc., would continually
> > check with the 
> > dispatchers or the operators, the men who worked in
> > the towers and 
> > stations, as to the location of the trains on the
> > lineup.
> > 
> > as to what decisions the enginemen/trainmen made,
> > think there was 
> > only one decision to be made, operate the train
> > according to the 
> > "book", the 'burlington lines rules of the operating
> > department.' if 
> > you errored and you were fired, you were fired for
> > violating one of 
> > these rules listed in this book.
> > 
> > can not recommend any books, only one can think of
> > is "the railroad, 
> > what it is and what it does" or a title similar to
> > this. am sure that 
> > many list members will be able to recommend
> > something for you.
> > 
> > hope this will answer, briefly, some of your
> > questions until those 
> > with more knowledge will respond to your inquiry.
> > 
> > warren
> > 
> > 
> 



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