N&W Car Movement Punch Card

[NW Mailing List]

Frank:

Your question brought back memories of my engineering and math undergraduate and graduate work.  I actually started with paper tape and progress was made when punched cards were introduced (1960 & 1961).  We generally added coding (specific columns) to the data that was punched on a card to identify different values/purposes.

One card wasn’t used for a single car movement.  Multiple cards were probably used, the number of cards depended on the movement.  The first column(s) was/were probably used to indicate which of the options the card was to be used.

My interpretation follows using the print and column headings on the left and right sides of the card.  I’m presuming that the first column identified a card number:

·         1 and 2      - identified manifest data

·         3      - Additional Route

·         4      - Car Record

·         5      - Interchange Information

·         6      - Industrial Activity

·         The “Initial” and “Number” (columns 2-4 and 5-10) also helped to correlate Load Information.  The “4” card (Car Record) punch columns 54-58 provided the link to the Train cards (column 1, code 8 and 9) via the “Train Number”


·         8      - Train Header

·         9      - Sub-Header

The zero “0” and “7” rows were probably used for to create additional identification via extra punches (probably the special characters that we use today in our passwords.  The computer programs or sorting machines would recognize any possible special characters.  Columns 78-80 on the “1” and “2” cards identified the clerk who prepared the original source documents from which the cards were punched.

The key punch operators did not have to space to enter each field.  They would have used program cards which would automatically punch some columns and skip fields.

More could be presumed if some of punched cards exist that could be examined as well as the source documents from which the cards were punched.  Various printed reports for the train and yard crews, accountants,  could have been printed in one of two methods.  Initially would have been using card sorters, card collators and batch line printers; while the second from computer programs in the later 1960’s as digital computers developed.

It would be interesting to see if the Archives have any records from which the history of the development of the punch card and its eventual format.

I hope my interpretation is clear.

Happy holidays to ALL,
George Weber


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Sent: Saturday, November 25, 2023 1:03 PM
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Subject: N&W Car Movement Punch Card


Tommy Duncan provided a N&W car IBM data punch card. When I did punched cards, I only had a single row of 80 characters so I am not sure how multiple rows of data were on one card for a single car movement. If anyone has that experience on the N&W List, I will welcome the information.

Best wishes for the holidays,

Frank Scheer
f_scheer at yahoo.com<mailto:f_scheer at yahoo.com>
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