Train order forks

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

Train Order Hoops - I was fortunate several years ago to acquire one from a 
retired Tower Operator on the Wabash.
He provided a detailed history on the hoop. Down to the nail used to secure 
one of the forks to the handle. It was used at the Reddick Tower in Ill. He 
mentions working two lines N&W & Penn Central. Some interesting things about 
it as mentioned in previous emails are : The waxed string & slip knot. The 
ends are chipped from hitting the sides of cabooses.
I was fortunate to acquire just very recently some copied photos of it in 
use. Most people that come to my home to see my collection have never even 
heard of  "Such a Thing".
Thanks for starting the thread on this subject.

Ron Wilkinson
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: "N&amp,W Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2005 8:50 PM
Subject: Train order forks


> Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2005 12:37:04 EST
> To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
> From: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
> Subject:  Re: Train orders
>
> Train order hoops...hadn't thought about those in a
> long time.......
>
> I worked as a Penn Central/Conrail block operator in
> the 1970's-80's and handed up many a train order
> /clearance card (Form A). The first day of training I
> was instructed to not hold the hoop pointed near my
> body in case it hit the engine in which case it could
> drive the hoop handle right through me. Made a lot of
> sense. We used the kind of hoop which was a forked
> stick which held the train order string which held the
> paperwork and the crew would take only the string and
> orders.
>
> The best train order string was a waxed twine (we
> sometimes had to put up with the fuzzy cheap stuff).
> Two nails were driven into the inside wall of the
> office about 2-2.5 feet apart and one end of the ball
> of twine was tied to a nail. Then we would wrap the
> whole ball round and round the nails. When finished we
> cut through the lower end of the loop and then we had
> uniform pieces of train order string.
>
> When it came time to hand up orders we took one
> string, held it by the ends and then made a small slip
> knot and put the other end of the string inside the
> knot and then did the same for the other end of the
> loop. The paperwork was inserted into the center and
> the string pulled tight trapping the orders.
> The next big trick was to stand at the right distance
> from the track so that when the engine went by the
> fork would not hit it and the engineer could put his
> fisted arm through the center of the "Y" and the train
> order string would come out of the fork and the loop
> of string with the orders was secured on the
> engineer's arm. Of course, there was always the
> crewman who tried to pick the string off with his
> fingers or misjudged the center of the "Y" and wacked
> his hand on the metal part of the fork.
>
> Crews were supposed to slow down to pick up orders so
> as to not injure the op or get injured themselves and
> we had a right to pull the hoop away if the speed was
> too fast which forced the train to stop. I remember
> handing on to an Amtrak train when as it started past
> some water hit me and I flinched causing the crewman
> to miss and the train to stop and send a man back. The
> head end needed the orders but not so with the rear
> end.
>
> Gosh, those were fun times!
>
> Jim Kehn
>
>
> January 23, 2005
>
> Great recollections, Jim!
>
> At AF Tower on the RF&P, the width of the operator's
> desk happened to be the correct lenght of a train
> order string.  We pre-tied the two slip knots and put
> the loops on a nail at the opening between the knots
> so they were ready for immediate use.  The first trick
> (12 MN-8 AM)was responsible for making a batch every
> few months.  AF was never a significant train order
> station by the late 1960s.
>
> I did handle orders on the C&O on many occasions, but
> those are stories for another time.  Your caution
> about holding the stick was important, not only from
> your standpoint but that of the crew trying to snag
> the order.  The other caution was standing too close
> to the track.  Aside from wind gusts from the train
> that might knock one off balance, there was
> occasionally stuff hanging from freight cars.  One
> example were broken steel bands around bundles of
> lumber.  They were like a flying razors.
>
> Good evening,
>
> =====
> Dr. Frank R. Scheer, Curator
> Railway Mail Service Library, Inc.
> f_scheer at yahoo.com
> (202) 268-2121 - weekday office
> (540) 837-9090 - weekend afternoons
> in the former N&W station on VA rte 723
> 117 East Main Street
> Boyce  VA  22620-9639
>
> Visit at http://www.railwaymailservicelibrary.org
>
>
>
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