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Steam & Excursion > What does the "X" stand for??Date: 09/20/14 08:31 What does the "X" stand for?? Author: bankshotone On the number board of practically all steam locomotives, turbines and early diesels there is an X before the locomotive number. As I understand it means "extra". What exactly does that mean??
Date: 09/20/14 08:50 Re: What does the "X" stand for?? Author: Realist bankshotone Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > On the number board of practically all steam > locomotives, turbines and early diesels there is > an X before the locomotive number. As I understand > it means "extra". What exactly does that mean?? Extra train, not a scheduled train with a train number in the timetable. Date: 09/20/14 08:51 Re: What does the "X" stand for?? Author: Bob3985 You are correct. "X" denotes an extra train being one that is not timetable scheduled. At one time railroads had some scheduled freight trains as well as passenger trains. So the non-scheduled trains, freight or passenger, carried the X. Then there were sections of scheduled trains as in 1-8 that would be in the indicators denoting the first section of train number 8. Regular scheduled trains had their class lamps shut off whereas the sections carried green class lights and extras carried white.
Bob Krieger Cheyenne, WY Date: 09/20/14 09:27 Re: What does the "X" stand for?? Author: Lurch In northern California there were two railroads that operated over portions of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad (subsidiary of the Southern Pacific). The NWP required that the foreign power operate with train indicators. The California Western Railroad and the Pacific Lumber Company added number boards to their locomotives and since these trains were not scheduled NWP trains, they operated as extras. California Western #45 still carries her number boards displaying X-45, or extra engine #45.
 Date: 09/20/14 09:31 Re: What does the "X" stand for?? Author: johnacraft bankshotone Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > On the number board of practically all steam > locomotives, turbines and early diesels there is > an X before the locomotive number. As I understand > it means "extra". What exactly does that mean?? "Timetable and Train Order" operation was developed in the days before radios and block signals were invented, to allow trains to operate safely and relatively independently without being able to communicate with each other. Some trains operated by timetable - they adhered to a schedule printed in the timetable, and cleared the main track for superior trains. In addition to the timetable, a dispatcher communicated with operators at stations along the railroad. The operators passed instructions from the dispatcher to train crews (train orders) with instructions for meets, etc., which superceded the timetable. An extra train is a train not listed in the timetable, authorized by train order only. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Train_order_operation The following link is a recreated T&TO rule book. Rules regarding the movement of trains, with sample train orders, start at rule 82. http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Prr/Bor1956/rulebook1956.html Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/14 09:32 by johnacraft. Date: 09/20/14 10:17 Re: What does the "X" stand for?? Author: EtoinShrdlu The technically correct term for a "numberboard" is "indicator", at least on the SP, because they are used to indicate to inferior trains which schedule authority (which schedule number) the engine is has bee authorized to use when running on the main track (as in "train 98").
Date: 09/20/14 12:52 Re: What does the "X" stand for?? Author: Evan_Werkema bankshotone Wrote:
> On the number board of practically all steam > locomotives, turbines and early diesels there is > an X before the locomotive number. It's worth pointing out that only railroads that displayed the train number on the lead locomotive did this, and only if the locomotive was pulling an extra, unscheduled train. If it was pulling a scheduled train, that train's number would be displayed with no X. Many, many railroads did not display the train number, and on their locomotives, all the number boards displayed just the locomotive number, no X. Date: 09/20/14 13:29 Helpers Author: Bob3985 Also if the train had helpers in front of the extra they are helping they carried the X and number of the locomotive they were helping behind them in their indictor. UP in many locations put their helpers on the point. Some locations they were on the rear, some ahead of the caboose as in Echo Canyon.
Bob Krieger Cheyenne, WY Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/14 13:30 by Bob3985. Date: 09/20/14 16:58 Re: Helpers Author: Frisco1522 I'm trying to think of any other roads other than UP and SP that carried the X in the indicators. Having a senior moment and can't think of any. Most other roads used white flags and/or white class lights if running extra.
Date: 09/20/14 18:31 Re: Helpers Author: bankshotone Frisco1522 Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > I'm trying to think of any other roads other than > UP and SP that carried the X in the indicators. > Having a senior moment and can't think of any. > Most other roads used white flags and/or white > class lights if running extra. I should have quantified a bit better. I am referring to the U.P. and S.P., they are the locomotives I am most familiar with. I think you are correct I can not find any other roads that used it. Date: 09/20/14 20:28 Re: Helpers Author: railstiesballast About three posts after (above) this thread "masterphots" posted two images that illustrate this application of the rules on the SP.
In his first image a 4400 class locomotive is on the head end of Train No. 39 and you know that because the train indicator says to. In the second image the 4400 class locomotive is on a fan trip run-by, and this is an extra train. Date: 09/21/14 17:42 Re: What does the "X" stand for?? Author: Chico43 Evan_Werkema Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > bankshotone Wrote: > > > On the number board of practically all steam > > locomotives, turbines and early diesels there > is > > an X before the locomotive number. > > It's worth pointing out that only railroads that > displayed the train number on the lead locomotive > did this, and only if the locomotive was pulling > an extra, unscheduled train. If it was pulling a > scheduled train, that train's number would be > displayed with no X. > > Many, many railroads did not display the train > number, and on their locomotives, all the number > boards displayed just the locomotive number, no X. One of them being the Santa Fe. Consequently, when the UPee operated on Santa Fe trackage between Riverside Jct, CA and Daggett, CA they had to do some indicator number swapping at those stations in order to comply with SFe rules. Date: 09/23/14 11:13 Re: What does the "X" stand for?? Author: Realist In the current case of UP 844, 3985, and 4014, it means "cross this one off."
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