Clarity is of the utmost importance when passing signals ! if you had a engine running in reverse on the point of a train and you wanted to pull then you gave a back up signal which was a circle and if you wanted to bunch the slack say to uncouple you gave a what we called come ahead, a wave of your fore arm looking directly to who was to see it in this case the engineer. the wave was vertical in front of you. In all cases if it wasnt understood no one moved. conrail john
Here's my favourite hand signal if working a yard or switcher.... The Yard forum takes his right hand and pats his stomach... Well not just now but in 40 minutes..... time now is 11:21 
I want to throw one more. Before radios we had at least 3 ground men a cond and two brakemen and sometime a switch tender they were one armed guys i suppose ww2 vets. anyway we would pull the drag out the cond would stay with the switch tenders to make the cuts and the two brakemen would ride out where in twenty cars or so one would drop off followed in another twenty by the other brakeman. the idea was to fan out so we could see each other and the engineer who had his head out the window ! the cond would give a signal which was relayed to brakeman 1 who relayed to brakeman 2 who relayed to the engine ! As the drag shortened each brakeman would climb on and ride in. on curves you had to do whatever to stay in sight, climb a hill, climb the side of a standing car nothing was off the table. In stormy weather we used red flares. i burnt many gloves in the winter..oh and make sure your pockets were full of fusees...do not run out ! it was the best job ever till technology changed the game. lastly thanks for the likes ! conrail john
