Re: 99 Years Ago April 29th on the SVRy

Few people realize that the terminology used in the rules is often defined, and not what you think. "Siding - A track auxiliary to the main track used for meeting or passing trains." Sidings are covered by special rules - unattended cars must not be left on them without the dispatcher's permission or knowledge, and all switches on a siding, except to the main, must be left lined for the siding. More modern rulebooks state that sidings will be designated in the timetable. So a track with a switch at one end only is called a spur, with one at each end is a runaround, and a runaround can be designated as a siding.

There was actually a format that the dispatcher could specify trains to meet and use other than a siding. In addition, a train could be ordered to back in (sometimes a spur or a branch) to another track for a meet. "EXTRA 3 EAST WITH 12 CARS BACK INTO HAWLEY SPUR AND MEET EXTRA 19 WEST". In this example, Extra 3 would have to send a flagman to protect their move past the switch to be able to back in. The flagman would typically advise the train to be met when they were backed into the clear. The number of cars is specified so that Extra 19 would know how far back to stay if they arrived first.

What I was referring to as a "blind siding" is a siding without a train order operator. If a train used a blind siding to clear or meet a superior train, and if the train didn't show up, would be in trouble if they didn't have the means through an operator or telephone to obtain new orders to allow them to proceed. In instances such as this, the train would either wait to see if an approaching train might bring them new orders from the nearest train order station which would be addressed C&E EXTRA 3 WEST IN CARE OF EXTRA 19 EAST. If all else failed, a flagman would start walking or possibly catch a ride from a passing train to the next siding where the would flag and hold any opposing train allowing their train to advance to the next siding, hopefully where there was a train order operator. Some stations only had a day operator assigned, and it wasn't unusual for a train crew to wake up the day operator to get new orders in the middle of the night.

I'm wondering if maybe SVRy, especially in later years were manned stations were fewer, didn't count on the crews copying their own orders at the phone booths. I'm not sure what "Signal is out for other" unless this refers to the train order signal. Also I don't see anything stating whether or not to display green signals for a following train, so I assume that SVRy did not allow sections or used a train order such as ENG 19 DISPLAY SIGNALS FOR FIRST NO 1 BAKER TO SUMPTER.