On Operation
Going to rules school
Fred Gamst, noted anthropologist and railroad author, observed that industrial rules have plagued mankind with migraines since they first appeared in the late 18th century. Many see the hobby as an escape from workday policies and procedures, not one that brings headaches home. Stay with me, because this is an attempt at a cure.
I always enjoyed the riddle of rules. I puzzled over the wrinkled, used train orders I begged from crews as a skinny kid sporting a crew cut and Coke-bottle glasses. Thirty-odd years later, Tony Koester organized a “rules school” over which Steve King presided. We called it Kingfest. And it was festive indeed when I began learning the meaning of my collection of orders. “Oh! So that’s what ‘run extra’ means!”
Rulebooks intimidate easily; today’s are as thick as textbooks. Most timetableand-train-order (TTTO) rulebooks seem like pocket guides by comparison. In fact, one easily fit a pocket in which an employee could carry it while on duty.
A working knowledge of
rules has always been required, and railroaders were tested for it. I found some written TTTO-era exams in an online auction, and a friend made a gift of a 1938 copy of Catechism on the Standard Code, a handy reference in question-and-answer format. An examination record – a wallet-sized card indicating that its bearer passed – is another item in my collection.
These practices were strict, but they were not punitive. Periodic safety and rules meetings were refreshers during which instructors reviewed rules and situations in which they applied. Some railroads outfitted passenger equipment as a classroom, like the Lackawanna Safety Instruction Car in the photo, though it served as a yard office by the time I found it. Others put an idle coach to use. (A local diner served as our Kingfest venue, despite its lack of railroad car heritage.) This equipment was sent to outlying locations where employees collected. A car like this can make an interesting move on a layout.
Mastering textbook-length
rulebooks isn’t for everyone. But learning a few operating rules might help one handle prototypical TTTO operation more confidently. Let’s review them, some simplified.
Rule 92: A train must not leave a station before its scheduled departure time. Schedules are designed to separate trains safely. If the earliest No. 1, a westbound first-class train operating on single track, can leave Summit is 2:03 p.m., then eastbound trains know No. 1 can be no farther west than Summit at that time. The nearer to Summit and to 2:03 p.m. it gets, the better inferior trains must prepare to clear the main track in time for No. 1 to proceed.
Rule 93: Within yard limits the main track may be used, protecting against first-class trains. Let’s give Summit a yard. This rule applies to the main track, which is controlled by a dispatcher, not the yardmaster. It gives a switch crew authority to use the main provided it clears superior trains’ schedules or flags against them. All except first class trains must operate at restricted speed, prepared to stop if the switch crew or another train is ahead.
Rule 99: When a train stops and may be overtaken by another train, the flagman must ensure full protection. Complying always assumes that a train is following.
This applies to all trains, even first-class. Should No. 1 be delayed at Summit, its flagman must go back far enough, considering the speed and braking distance of an oncoming train, to prevent a collision.
Most of us are sometime railroaders in need of refreshers. Tony’s crew briefings include a short “rule of the day” discussion, which I copied. Mine include reminders about rules and special instructions like speed limits. Operating sessions improve when I prepare my crew members, prompting them with questions.
Who hasn’t studied a technical manual or other complex documentation? Perhaps calling rulebooks “operating manuals” would make them easier to swallow. Nevertheless, like a quick-start guide, these few rules will make you look like a pro.
A WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF RULES HAS ALWAYS BEEN REQUIRED, AND RAILROADERS WERE TESTED FOR IT. – JERRY