Re: C&TSRR - Looking for signals

More on signals...perhaps of interest to those who have never done it..

At night,using the trainman's lamp, coupling up an engine to a cut of cars would be done in a similar manner as during daytime, except the signals would be passed by the brakeman on the ground to the hogger while facing the engine with his lamp in his right hand.

The lamp would be moved in a slow counterclockwise circle to start the
reverse movement of the engine toward the cut of cars.
A swift upward "jerk" of the lamp would indicate "one carlength" (or however many...two jerks would be "two cars" etc.) to go.

Then as the engine came with in half then quarter carlength, the circular lamp motion would be slowed, and just prior to knuckles touching, the lamp would be lowered and swung across perpencicular to the track in a "stop" signal.

After the coupling completed and the pin was seen or heard to drop, a
slow "go forward" signal would be indicated by slowly raising and lowering the lamp vertically until the slack came out of the coupling
and then immediately another "stop" signal was given.

The lamp going out of sight indicated NOTHING was moved again until the brakeman and his lamp was again visible, so as to enable him to couple up the airhoses and open the angle cocks same as in daytime.

Then, either the vertical "Go ahead" signal or the circuilar "backup" signal was given for whatever further movement was needed.

You don't see night lamp signals much any more, I guess they do it
all with VHF handheld radios brakeman-to-engine.

But hand signaling at night with a lamp was a real art in days
gone by.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/27/2014 01:07AM by Etrump.