Re: Hand Signals The lost art

Yes, hand signals are now a lost art on most railroads. Remember, that before radios, every move was made using hand signals. I have a friend who worked the Santa Fe who hired on in the 40's and has put on numerous talks about them. Just going from one terminal to another could cause problems. The basic signals were the same, but imagine a conductor at the rear end telling the head brakie what cars went where from a half-mile away. I assume the CRRM has done something to preserve the hand signals for the Grande, but it would be good for someone in the narrow guage area to find an old conductor or brakeman who would be willing to demonstrate their use and videotape it for future historians. Time to go over the hill and off to the barn for beans.