House Car Run

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Abram, Your Excellency,

Regarding your point re tonnage, I wonder if the Phoebe Turn took loaded hoppers to Phoebe to be set off and later added together for the relatively flat run to Norfolk.  I recall there were 4-5 parallel tracks starting at Phoebe and continuing for a mile or so eastward that could be used for such a purpose.  I can’t think of any other reason for these tracks at Phoebe but await your insights.

    Ray Smoot

From: NW-Mailing-List <nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org> On Behalf Of NW Mailing List
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2023 12:14 PM
To: N&W Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Subject: Re: House Car Run

The latest post of Herr Garner, Grand Duke of Newport, Va, raises two questions for me:

(1)  Why would the House Car Run be getting a helper eastbound up Blue Ridge?  That says to me that the train was a "tonnage train" and not some piddly little  handful-of-cars local.  (I do not have handy a Time Table showing tonnages for a Y6 or Y5 east out of Roanoke.)  And why would the engine have an A-Tank ?

(2)  Mr. Link's "liner notes" raise this question:  Why would the Head-End Brakeman be picked up at 16th St Yard Office, Roanoke?  Those crews reported to Shaffers Crossing.  Unless told otherwise when called, the Conductor reported to the Hump Yard Office and picked up his waybills;  the Flagman reported with the Conductor;   and the Head-End Brakeman reported to the Call Office and accompanied the engine crew in getting the engine off the Spark Track and down the Eastbound Running Track.  The engine would stop at the Hump Building and pick up the Conductor and Flagman.

The crew + engine stopped at 16th Street, "DO" Telegraph Office, to pick up their Clearance Card and any Train Orders.  The Head-End Brakeman should have been on the engine all the way from Shaffers Crossing motive power yard, down the Running Track to 16th St Yard Office.

I think Mr. Link made a mistake in writing the liner notes.  Perhaps he intended to say this:  "The engine stopped at 16th Street and the Head End Brakeman went over to the Yard Office to get the Clearance Card and Train Orders."  That would make more sense, given the way things were done.  But it would have made even more sense if it were the Conductor who went to "DO" 16th Street as he was in charge of the train and the orders were addressed to "C&E," meaning Conductor and Engineman.  Almost invariably, the Conductor got the Orders.  And besides, it would ahve been the Conductor who went into "DO" 16th Street to enter his departing train on the Train Register.

To continue the description of what the House Car Run crew would have done:  After getting their Orders at "DO" 16th street, the Conductor and Flagman dropped off the engine somewhere around 15th Street, and found the caboose on their train.  And the Head-End Bakeman rode the engine to Park Street, reversed into the Eastbound Departure Yard, and coupled up.  (Norfolk Division trains were usually made up on Tracks 1 - 5 in the EB Departure Yard;  Shenandoah Division trains on Tracks 6-7-8.  Generally, but not always.)

The only man who may be able to answer for us this question about procedures is Mr. Tommy Duncan, who worked the Operator's job at "DO" 16th Street in the late 1950s anbd has an excellent recall of details.  I will ask him.

In the above, I am not meaning to nit-pick.  The liner notes just jump out at me as being out of synch with the way things were done.

-- abram burnett,

Contextualizing Turnips in a Non-Controversial Way
   ---  (this is a sophisticated description of a bootlegger)
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