Re: What is it ? Snifter valve ?

From SVRy Time Table No. 60, August 1, 1937:

"When for any cause a stop is made on descending heavy grade engineer must not use steam to start train. When ready to proceed he will give two short blasts of the whistle for brakes to be released and allow train to start itself."

This is what I do, and I suspect other engineers do as well. It makes sense in that the consist will tend to find it's own slack control. Accelerating with steam would seem to me to insure poor slack control.

Of course we have very short trains. One time however, I had all the hoppers, passenger consist and a couple flats as I recall. I was at Hawley and I just let it roll before applying steam.

dan