Western Railroad Discussion > Santa Fe Dictating Machine usage

I recently purchased a recording of train crew end of trip reports made on an Edison Voicewriter dictating machine. I posted 6 minutes of it here:
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,5050149
With help of other Trainorders.com members (the knowledge that can be had from this site never ceases to amaze me) it was determined that the reports are from the Santa Fe in the Los Angles area  very likely in 1970.
I was wondering if anyone has any further information that they could offer about the use of dictating machines on the Santa Fe. Any rules of usage from employee timetables, special instruction bulletins, or personal memories?
Anything relating to dictating machines on the Railway would be very helpful in putting the recordings into context.
A photo of an employee using one would be fantastic.
Thanks for any help!
Ken Gear

It is my opinion those voice tie-up messages from train service employees could have been recorded at either San Bernardino or Barstow by the names of some of the districts, and I'm guessing in the 1950's as I think many of those locomotive numbers could have been steam.  Hill Cut was probably a helper on Cajon Pass;  Wilmington Turn could have been out of San Bernardino;  Highland Park or Harbor could have been either San Bernardino or Hobart at Los Angeles.    I am retired from AT&SF and BNSF, I don't recall any voice recorder to tie-up and get off duty in my career.    It'll take someone older than me to explain those disks you have come across.  

And I forgot to say when someone reports "from the Valley," that could be at Barstow and that employee came in from Bakersfield which was on the "Valley Division."   From my time in southern Calif., I don't recall any reference to "Valley" districts out of Los Angeles or San Bernardino, but Barstow, yes.  

Los Angles/ San Bernardino    we had hill pools San Bernardino -Barstow, San Berndino- Los Angles  was valley pools . In the late 80s early 90s San Berndino crew change was moved to LA  so you had LA /Barstow pools. I had a 1979 engers date  but dont recall recorded tie-up. The eng numbers used in the tie-ups  I think this is San Bernardino  1969 early 1970s.  Some of the eng numbers are pre 1969 renumber some are post 1969 renumber. The san jac was a San Bernardino job .

hoghead22 Wrote:

> I'm guessing in the 1950's as I think many of those locomotive numbers could have been steam. 

- The recording mentions locomotives 5607 and 5612.  The very first locomotives on the Santa Fe with those road numbers were SD45's built in 1969. 
- The recording mentions locomotive 1708.  Santa Fe never had a steam locomotive with that number - the 2-10-2's ended at 1705.  The very first locomotive on the Santa Fe numbered 1708 was an SD40 built in 1966.
- The recording mentions locomotive 9841.  The very first locomotive on the Santa Fe with that road number was an RSD-15 renumbered from 841 in 1969/70.