Re: Cut levers or what ever they are called.

Quote
Garrett Augustus
Actually you have to remember that in the pre-radio days most crews worked with five to six men on the ground and two in the cab. Signals were passed man to man for up to 60 cars at a time. Remember too, that walking and riding on the top of cars was not only allowed, but required as part of the job.

I once saw a wonderful photo reproduced in a Fresno (California) County promotional exhibit at the LA County Fair.

This photo showed an SP crew switching the Sunshine Raisin plant at Fresno. The 0-6-0 was coupled tender to the cut of box cars being placed on a curved center track. The fireman could be observed leaning out his window and looking up at the brakeman standing on the roofboards near the center of the closest box car. The brakeman was relaying hand signals from another roof-top man further down cut. That man may have been either directing the movement or relaying from a man on the ground.

It was a wonderful view showing how railroading was once done.

Brian Norden