Hand Passed Train Orders?

colorado hirailer posted:

Another posting, "Caboose", reminded me of misspent? youth hanging out at a RR station and watching train orders passed up by a wooden hoop with a handle, which receiver quickly tossed back from train.  Another style of "hoop" was a forked stick like a divining rod, but held by the long end, with a string fastened in a triangle around the fork;  string with orders attached caught in elbow of trainman, and "hoop" retained by stationmaster.  Anybody model order passers? I need to remember to model that...sounds like an "accessory" station where a guy runs out to a passing train as tripped by a contact.

Artista offers a man holding the "fork style" train order holder, positioned for "hooping up" a train order to an engine crew on the move.

My Granddad gave up railroading after the cylinder head of the passing locomotive "brushed" his shoulder while he was holding up an order fork for the fireman. It took more than a year for him to fully regain use of that shoulder. It was (of course) at night and he was standing just a bit too close.

This was him at his telegrapher's desk at Enslie Tower several years earlier:

It looks like the last digit in the calendar year is a zero which would make it 1910.

We have a couple of the fork style hoops at the JRM Museum here in Springdale.  You'd be surprised how many visitors wonder "why there's a divining rod up there on the wall"...   

Mitch 

Where order forks were used, the Operator took advantage of any slack time between trains to tie up some slip-knot string loops, in order to have a ready supply, in case the trains started coming in fleets.

The orders were placed inside the slip knot and it was tightened around them.  Then the string loop was stretched over the nail on each side of the fork.  It was important to take note of, and remember, which direction the nails were angled.  The nails were angled so that, if pointed properly, the string loop would slip off when the employee's arm passed through it.  If the fork was presented "backward", the wooden fork sticks would break off and go with the string.

Ah, passing up orders: "Classic railroading". 

Spent many a' night chatting with depot agent Buddy Stedman at the Frisco's Van Buren depot. Somewhere I have a blurry pic of Buddy passing up an order to a passing Frisco freight.

I so miss those years of railroading. That was the railroading that tugged at me so badly. However, the plan for my life didn't include full time railroading until much later.

Found that old pic and scanned it. Here it is:

Andre

Unless I'm totally losing it, the Long Island Rail Road was doing this on a daily basis, up until somewhat recently....I think? I'm pretty sure I remember seeing it, I just don't remember where other than it would have to be the Montauk branch...

I think Bachman and/or MTH came up with a figure with orders.

Coincidentally, I was watching a Milwaukee Road video yesterday, and one of the scenes showed orders being passed to the crew from fixed forks on a pole. There were two forks, one mounted above the other. When the engine went by, the engineer grabbed the orders from the top fork, and when the bay window caboose went by, the conductor - through the bay window - snagged the lower set of orders.

laming posted:

Spent many a' night chatting with depot agent Buddy Stedman at the Frisco's Van Buren depot. Somewhere I have a blurry pic of Buddy passing up an order to a passing Frisco freight.

Found that old pic and scanned it. Here it is:

 

Andre

That's interesting. I went through Van Buren years ago, but didn't have a chance to ride the Missouri and Arkansas RR scenic train (it's also a working railroad) that operates out of Van Buren. Passengers board at the depot - still there, of course. The scenic railroad uses Alcos, I believe. I remember a RS-3 when I was there, and I think there's a C-420 also.

Hi Breeze:

C-420's: Yup.

RS-3: Must have been another engine type (The RS-1 at Springdale, perhaps?)

I'm somewhat familiar with the A&M.

Andre

laming posted:

Found that old pic and scanned it. Here it is:

 

Wouldn't be surprised if that same hoop wound up at the Springdale museum!   

Mitch 

Hi Mitch:

T'wasn't a hoop. Paleface used forked stick.

Andre

Just curious but passing orders this way seems lie a disaster in the making. Any stories of people losing fingers, hands or worse.

breezinup posted:

Coincidentally, I was watching a Milwaukee Road video yesterday, and one of the scenes showed orders being passed to the crew from fixed forks on a pole. There were two forks, one mounted above the other. When the engine went by, the engineer grabbed the orders from the top fork, and when the bay window caboose went by, the conductor - through the bay window - snagged the lower set of orders.

For passenger trains, there were three forks and three sets of orders (or messages) -- the engine crew got the top one; the Conductor, in the train, got the middle one; the Flagman got the bottom one, from the rear vestibule.

For freight trains, there were only two forks and two sets of orders (or messages) -- the engine crew got the top one, and the rear end crew, form the caboose, got the bottom one.

laming posted:

Hi Breeze:

C-420's: Yup.

RS-3: Must have been another engine type (The RS-1 at Springdale, perhaps?)

I'm somewhat familiar with the A&M.

Andre

Hi Andre - Yes, it was a while back - could very well have been an RS-1, and, based on your comment, I'm sure it was. Nice to see the old Alcos still working the rails.

Jimmy T posted:

Just curious but passing orders this way seems lie a disaster in the making. Any stories of people losing fingers, hands or worse.

See my response above. 

I remember when I was a kid, 14-15 the 3rd trick operator at Prospect Junction ( train order station 1 mile from Denver Union Station) would let me 'hoop up' train orders from a 'butterfly' to freight trains and the California Zephyr. And the train dispatcher would call the stations along the line by radio to type up train orders for the next 8 hours. The operator then read them back while he let me type them on a 'flimsy'. He showed me how to tie the string and mount it on the train order hoop with the orders. They always started with 'To C&E' xxx.  Big time fun 'working' on the railroad when you're a teenager!  And the operator got a kid to do some of the work!

Jimmy T posted:

Just curious but passing orders this way seems lie a disaster in the making. Any stories of people losing fingers, hands or worse.

I knew that someone would eventually chime in with the, “Oh my God! That’s not safe!” mantra. This IS railroading. It is how it’s done. It was done this way for over 150 years. 

We are becoming a society of wusses.

Thanks Rich figured either you or Hot Water would have some kind of response like that.