Did the N&W Ever Have a "Cipher Code" ?

Tue Mar 31 15:24:50 EDT 2015

Abram,
Thank you for your bits and bytes (or dahs and dits?) of history.  This one
now appears on our website and Facebook page--with your permission of
course.  Maybe one of our followers will come up with a Cipher Code book.

Frank Akers
Rural Retreat Depot Foundation
www.theruralretreatdepot.com

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Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2015 8:11 AM
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Subject: Did the N&W Ever Have a "Cipher Code" ?

Telegraph "Cipher Codes" were rather common on railroads back in the day
when business moved over Telegraph wires. They all began with the sentence,
"The purpose of this code is brevity, not secrecy." 

Cipher Codes employed brief words to replace commonly-used phrases, e.g. MUD
= "Regarding your message of ---," ASH = "How many engines do you have on
hand?," MAUD = "Please reserve lower berth for ---," HARBOR = "Has bill of
lading been surrendered?" 

These documents were generally issued by the General Superintendent of
Transportation and, on some roads, carried a "CT" number. (The one I am
looking at is an 1897 PRR Cipher Code, and caries the form number CT-900.)
Several of the biggest railroads even employed a "Telegraph Censor," whose
job it was to inspect telegrams, make sure they were not unnecessarily
wordy, "if their purpose could have been served by forwarding in company
mail" instead of tying up the telegraph lines, and whether the senders were
utilizing the Cipher Code words for brevity. (Talk about a cream-puff job !)

Has anyone ever seen an N&W Cipher Code book? 

-- abram burnett 

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