Pete,
I can't answer the red lantern question directly. But since you brought up the subject.....
On April 18,1941 a carrier/union agreement was signed that required in part "after the effective date of this agreement (June 1,1941),each trainman and yardman must provide Himself with an electric white lantern". "Railroads will continue to use oil burning lanterns with red globes for flagging service."
The agreement went on to say the lantern must be of the standard prescribed by the carrier, must have not less than two white bulbs for instant use and provision for a spare bulb inside the lantern. As a side note the employee could be supplied his lantern by the carrier and pay for it with payroll deduction.
Then on August 25,1941 trainmasters at Aurora posted notice #92 requiring flagman to maintain a white oil burning lantern in addition to a white electric lantern for use in flagging service. Similar notices were posted and observed by Aurora men at Burlington for other divisions about the same time.
The notice went on to state that it would not be necessary to keep the white oil lantern lighted except when in use. The notice also stated a white oil lantern is standard equipment on the engine and will be available for immediate use on the head end of the train.
Needless to say this set off a storm of protests from lodges to road general chairman and all the way to Cleveland national union HQ. On 1/19/42 the Q general chairman wrote to H.J. Hogland,asst. to Exec. V.P. Of the Q asking that the Aurora notice and all other similar notices be canceled that were not in agreement with the electric lantern agreement. The file does not contain a response from the Q mgmt. however there is a notation on the file that notice #92 was canceled.
Based on your comment of R.I. Practice and the above I would agree with your comment That it sure seems that shortly after the electric lantern agreement effective date, somewhere a flagman's electric lantern failed with a collision occurring .
Leo
Leo et al...Not many times but a few when I worked passenger I had the privilege of "hanging" the markers on the old heavy weight coaches and'or pullmans. IIRC all the times i was required to do that little chore there was a vestibule so it required a bit less "acrobatic" ability to get the job done, but it did require some semblance of strength..Those old oil markers were heavy..I'm not good at guessing weight, but probably 25-30 lbs per each. Since you had to be hanging on with one hand you needed to balance and push up the marker you were hanging with one hand.
At Lincoln you had to go to a "box" on one of the "between tracks" platforms...dig out pair of markers on your own then, if they needed filling you had to go "someplace"..I don't recall where, and get some oil. Of course this little chore was done while dressed in your uniform and dress shoes.
You also had to get an "oil burning lantern red lantern for flagging purposes to go along with your electric trainman's light.
BTW..just as little aside the Rock Island rules required that nothing but an "oil burning" lantern was to be used by the flagman on suburban trains..I made inquiry a few times as to why, but never got a satisfactory answer..I supposed it was because "one time" "somebody" got out there with an electric lantern and his battery died. and he was "in the dark"
Did the Q have this requirement for suburban trains??
Pete
-----Original Message-----
From: qutlx1@aol.com [CBQ] < CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
To: CBQ < CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Mon, Jun 26, 2017 6:27 pm
Subject: [CBQ] Hanging Markers in Chicago Union Station
Here's the latest snippet from the Aurora Lodge files that is too short to ever become an article.
It's 1949, the Zephyrs have built in electric markers. So when backed into Chicago Union
Station(CUS) the brakeman or flagman doesn't need to hang markers on the rear car. I don't mean paddles but rather the real thing, the heavy kerosene markers. For those who are familiar with CUS, you know the hanging of markers on a train would require some acrobatics by the man given the trough in the tracks,etc.
The normal routine was for the brakeman/flagman to go into the basement of CUS to the "oil room" where markers were maintained by the mechanical department. He would then go to his train and hang the markers. If there was a vestibule on the bumping post rear end things weren't too bad. But some trains didn't have a vestibule at the bumping post end.
This required a considerable effort to get markers hung.
Members of the Aurora,Aurora (Galesburg),Ottumwa and Chicago lodges signed a petition asking that the Q close the "oil room" and have the mechanical department put the markers on the train at 14 th. street coach yard before backing down to CUS.
Management was reluctant to agree to this change. So it was agreed a member of mgmt. would observe a brakeman hanging markers on one of the standard trains of conventional equipment on the track at CUS.
Shortly thereafter the "oil room" was closed and conventional equipment trains backed into CUS from 14th st. Coach yard with markers hung in place.
I share these insights so we can understand what real day to day railroading was like.
For those on this group who are not BRHS members these little scenes reveal a glimpse
Of the insights contained in the BRHS Bulletins. I encourage you to join the BRHS.
Leo Phillipp
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Posted by: qutlx1@aol.com
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