Railroaders' Nostalgia > Milepole, milepoe, what?

Mt Vernon tower's thread in N & H on pole lines prompted a memory I have often wondered about. Even though the territory I was running through were exempt of pole lines, the dispatchers would reference mandatory directives with a "milepole" or "milepoe" unit of measure. Were these "poles" normally at set distance intervals per mile at one time?

They were set at prescribed distances in the areas I worked on the Santa Fe.  Some locations (districts) had as few as 40 poles per mile and some had as many as 56 poles per mile.  In identifying speed restriction locations we might receive a train order that went somewhat like this:  Speed limit 30 mph between 18 poles west of MP 127 and 5 poles west of MP 128.  Pole locations were used almost extensively until they started disappearing from the landscape.

I'm editing my comment to add that in the latter years of the pole lines the Santa Fe would list in the timetable the number of poles per mile on the various subdivisions.  The mile post number used to always be attached the telegraph pole.  On the UP between Abilene and Salina, Ks the pole that the mile post number was attached to was painted white, the quarter mile post would have a white band around it of 8 to 10 inches in height, the half mile would have 2 bands and the three quarter post would have 3 bands.

I purchased one mile of poles from the Santa Fe on the Osborne branch in 1974.  If I remember correctly there were 56 poles in that mile.  I thought they would make a cute pole fence but hind sight it was not a good idea.  Too much work!
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/15 06:39 by KskidinTx.

On the SP it was pretty much standard on the districts that I operated on that there were 32 poles to the mile.. as I remember 165 feet apart..  These poles also had crossarms with wires strewn on them  in turn carried the telephone, telegraph, signal   and communication lines.  Until the UP took over had never heard the term milepoe... maybe it is just had easier phrase to say that rolls off your tongue easier ...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/15 05:54 by SanJoaquinEngr.

If I recall correctly, the Rock Island had 30 to 50 poles per mile territories, a system chart that the signal and communications department put out, and vertical white boards with black horizontal hash marks on the 10, 20 and 30 poles.  I think the train orders read " Do not exceed xx mph between MPxx TPxx  and MPxx and TPxx"

We still have the white bands on the poles on the Boulder City Branch.  From Boulder City, Nv.  to Railroad Pass.

IC1038west Wrote: > ... "milepole" or "milepoe"...

In the infant Santa Fe days of my career I remember thinking that style of speed restriction delivery, such as: "X poles west of MP so & so, to X poles west of MP such & such" was needlessly difficult to follow. I always thought it was biased (made easier) for westbound travel & prejudiced (more difficult) against eastbound travel. Counting forward is much easier than counting backward. If it was the same, cops wouldn't be having suspected DUI motorists count (or recite the alphabet) backwards.

As to the pronunciation of the term, I remember working with several Santa Fe trainmen who were in the habit of pronouncing the term milepost and/or milepole as mile-POE. This practice seemed to be especially prevalent in branchline territory. I got the impression it was just some sort of lazy carry-over from those "10-4 good buddy, mercy-sakes, mouth-full-of-mush, CB radio slanguage" days, where you had to have an English language IQ of at least 10, or maybe 12 to communicate over the radio.
(Ah yes... the good ol' [boy] days!  :^)

Lance/199

santafe199 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> As to the pronunciation of the term, I remember
> working with several Santa Fe trainmen who were in
> the habit of pronouncing the term milepost and/or
> milepole as mile-POE.

I would expect the pronunciation MAHL to go with the pronunciation POE.

TAW

KskidinTx Wrote:  On the
> UP between Abilene and Salina, Ks the pole that
> the mile post number was attached to was painted
> white, the quarter mile post would have a white
> band around it of 8 to 10 inches in height, the
> half mile would have 2 bands and the three quarter
> post would have 3 bands.

So the 1/4 mile bands on the poles were a precursor to UP's current practice of marking each mile in 1/4 mile increments?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/15 23:34 by IC1038west.

That is correct.

TAW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> santafe199 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > As to the pronunciation of the term, I remember
> > working with several Santa Fe trainmen who were
> in
> > the habit of pronouncing the term milepost
> and/or
> > milepole as mile-POE.
>
> I would expect the pronunciation MAHL to go with
> the pronunciation POE.
>
> TAW

You called it Thomas!

Larry Dodgion
Wilsonville, OR

CCDeWeese Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If I recall correctly, the Rock Island had 30 to
> 50 poles per mile territories, a system chart that
> the signal and communications department put out,
> and vertical white boards with black horizontal
> hash marks on the 10, 20 and 30 poles.  I think
> the train orders read " Do not exceed xx mph
> between MPxx TPxx  and MPxx and TPxx"

This post contained some examples of Rock Island slow orders
using "poles"
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3697887,3699471#msg-3699471

santafe199 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> IC1038west Wrote: > ... "milepole" or
> "milepoe"...
> As to the pronunciation of the term, I remember
> working with several Santa Fe trainmen who were in
> the habit of pronouncing the term milepost and/or
> milepole as mile-POE. This practice seemed to be
> especially prevalent in branchline territory. I
> got the impression it was just some sort of lazy
> carry-over from those "10-4 good buddy,
> mercy-sakes, mouth-full-of-mush, CB radio
> slanguage" days, where you had to have an English
> language IQ of at least 10, or maybe 12 to
> communicate over the radio.
> (Ah yes... the good ol' days!  :^)
>
> Lance/199

I finally got enough tears wiped away from lmfao on this observation.....Wow. Remember the era well; mush mouth central. Yep. That is great stuff.

MoPac at least on the way to Colorado used 40 poles per mile,   One had the mile post, the tenth one the quarter mile band, the second the half mile two bands, and the 30th had the three 3/4 mile bands.  The fortieth again had the full mile post.

Slow orders and the like would be mile Post and then poles as needed.

Rob



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/15 13:10 by SilvertonRR100.

...and when I was stationed at NAS Memphis, one day the PA barked "Attention - all hands - this is is a drill - FAR! - FAR! ".
When the laughter subsided, we evacuated the building.
...Lorenzo

On the Rock Island, the number of poles per mile was set in the
Standard Plan book. 


zr190