Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A public which is far less likely to be exposed to the details of everyday railroading can't fully understand the enormous changes which have taken place in the almost threescore and ten years which have passed since an indulgent relative took me "down to the tracks" to witness the last operation of steam locomotives in our home town.
In 1950, about half of the nation's freight traffic still moved under steam power, but that share was dwindling fast, and just about everyone could see the writing on the wall. With a few "late model" exceptions, steam locomotives in freight service could pull no more than about 75 cars in water-level territory. Five-man crews were the rule just about everywhere, a crew's day was limited to the 100-150 miles between "division points", reliance upon and a dispatching/traffic control system based upon written orders handed up by "block operators", often at intermediate points, ensured that passing trains got regular visual inspection from people who knew what to look for.
All these things had begun to change around 1930, but the effects of depression and global war impeded and distorted the pattern. Centralized traffic control and the possibility of a "lash-up" of several Diesel-electric locomotives under the control of one throttle and one engineer were under development by the late 1930's. Some pockets of steam operation lingered until 1960, and the real push to abolish the remaining switch/signal towers and concentrate most dispatching in a handful of central offices wasn't completed until the 1990s.
In the process, a general familiarity with the basics of rail operation among the public (or at least, among blue-collar white males) essentially evaporated, intensified by the fact that an industry contracting from 1.5 million employees in 1945 to about 250,000 in 1970 did very little hiring.
The Lac Megantic incident in Canada has become the most prominent demonstration of the dangers of under-crewing, but overall, the success of the rail industry to do considerably more with a much smaller workforce is remarkable, and over time, that efficiency morphs into a higher standard of living for all of us -- sometimes described as basic human progress.
Back in the mid-1960s, as the rail industry continued a decline which would not reverse itself for another twenty years, the Reading Company, a system centered around the heavy-industrial heartland of eastern Pennsylvania and known for relatively short, but heavy hauls, came up, with explicit agreement from the strong rail unions, with what was known as Bee-Line service -- a single locomotive unit with a two-man crew which skirted a number of work rules, but permitted siding-to-siding delivery (a key factor, along with the reduction in the number of "division points" in reducing costs and improving the "bottom line"). Unfortunately, these prospects were overlooked in the spasm of rail bankruptcies during the 1970s, and the Reading found its way into Conrail -- despite being the most financially healthy of the half-dozen-or-so systems involved.
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 02-02-2020 at 10:15 AM..
There are sensors that are supposed to detect these things. If a train goes into a siding the conductor will dismount and walk the length checking couplings, drawbars, axles, etc. At least on my train. If we stop I just stare at the conductor and say well? if they don’t move on their own.
You have a track in front of your house. Solid purchase decision, don’t let anyone tell you it’s not.
The nearest rail to me is 30 miles away in Benson, Arizona.
There are hundreds or maybe even thousands of towns in the United States where railroad tracks pass RIGHT in front of people’s homes. Talk to them, not me.
The nearest rail to me is 30 miles away in Benson, Arizona.
There are hundreds or maybe even thousands of towns in the United States where railroad tracks pass RIGHT in front of people’s homes. Talk to them, not me.
One of the first things I told the realtor when looking for my last house...……..if I hear a train whistle.. that house is off the list...………….
One of the first things I told the realtor when looking for my last house...……..if I hear a train whistle.. that house is off the list...………….
Lol... yeah! I’m with you on that.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
