RE: DRAle Reev's note re telegraph
I'm not one, although I once tried to learn from an old OP on the RI...I got
so I could send a little, but never could receive.
Couple of things I know from contact with telegraphers and reading the old
stories in Railroad Magazine...Especially Harry Bedwell. If some of you
young guys who don't know about dispatching want to read some real life stuff
from those days read some of Bedwell's tales.
Each op had is own "sine". This was his personal ID. For instance Harry
Bedwell's fictional character Eddie Sand used DY. This designation
identified the person of the operator and saved using his full name. Brevity
was the key. Each railroad had a Telegraph Brevity Key Code book. Words I
recall are Surf, Ruffian Wrench etc. These would mean things like...Car has
been forwarded, or Car received etc. This saved time and effort and offered
a unique language between those in the know. I used to have one of these
books but it seems to have gotten away from me. Perhaps Dale could elaborate.
In addition to a telegrapher's personal sign each station had it's own Call
Sign. Such as FO This was the call sign for the El Reno Yard on the Rock
Island. The El Reno passenger depot was RN. In the old employees timetables
the station telegraph call letters were printed next to the station name. In
later years this practice was discontinued, but I have some old operating
TT's with the station call signs inked in...done by the old telegraphers who
were becoming few and far between by the 1950's.
The good telegrapher didn't spell out complete words. tnx was thanks. OS
was train passing report. Some have tried to say this came from On
Sheet...I'm not too sure from everything I've read the origin of OS is
unknown. Numbers were used as code also. 30 meant "thats all"...This was
also used by newswriters for papers.
Pete HEdgpeth
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