Re: Helpers

The examples I posted are not intended to suggest the DRGW used the same approach out of Salida or anywhere else. By the 1960's the San Juan Extension was arguably a special case, with helpers generally covering an entire engine district with their train, no meets, and few open TO offices in between terminals. One order made a lot of sense because the pattern was pretty much predetermined. The dispatcher was unlikely to have to make any adjustments.
I would guess in other situations, especially where operations were more complex, more TO offices open, helpers working only a helper district, etc. that the dispatching would have looked a whole lot different. TO dispatching was an art, and different dispatchers did it differently.
I never worked on the DRGW, but from my experience working with trainorders on the SP, I would be very surprised if helpers had any authority different from that of the train they were helping while on the train. But once off the train, they would typically get their own orders.