Nostalgia & History > 1970's SP PICL Clerical Job (Acronym Needed)

In the 1970's, SP had a clerical job known as the PICL (pronounced "pickle") clerk in major yards such as San Jose (Calif.) Newhall Street Yard.

What words make up PICL? Thanks.

PICL = Perpetual Inventory Car Locator if memory serves!
In the days of IBM punch cards, each card represented a car in the yard. We had a case with slots with each slot representing a track in the yard. The cards were "supposed" to be lined up the same as the cars on the track. You then printed the tracks from those cards.
Dave

Santa Fe had a similar system a little later - called "CLIC" - car location inventory and control. At a staff meeting during the implementation of this system, an old time trainmaster, without anything to fear, asked the entire audience of 150 or so if CLIC stood for "cars lost in California" or "Come, lets institute chaos!". We younger trainmasters wouldn't have dared to ask that question!!!


Norm
TIOGA PASS

I seem to recall MDO mentioning "pickle clerks" in an earlier installment of his chronicles.

TCC is what replaced TOPS (Total Operating Processing System) but what did TCC stand for?

The ISC clerk had similar duties as the PICL clerk except the ISC clerk handled the switching zone spots/pulls instead of the regular yard. What did ISC stand for? Thanks.

Bangers-with-Nikons Wrote:
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> TCC is what replaced TOPS (Total Operating
> Processing System) but what did TCC stand for?
>
> The ISC clerk had similar duties as the PICL clerk
> except the ISC clerk handled the switching zone
> spots/pulls instead of the regular yard. What did
> ISC stand for? Thanks.

I ehik that it stood for Industrial Service Center

Anyone remenber SPINS

spboomer Wrote:
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> Anyone remenber SPINS


Southern Pacific Industrial Numbering System...or words to that effect. From an operating point of view, I thought it was a great idea and made things easier for (as an example) a local to find a certain track or spot for a car.

JDE

I think TCC stood for Terminal Control Computer. IIRC, that is what ran the hump at West Colton and inventoried all of the cars in the terminal. But I'm not really sure as I was not involved in that part of the division or terminal operations.

JDE

I don't think TCC replaced TOPS, but worked with it. TCC of course depended on SPINS. And there was another experimental system that started with SP that I can't even remember Of course then we got into SPRINT. If I remember correctly the system UP uses that replaced TOPS is TCS. My wife laughed when I told her we were using PMS at SP, since she was dealing with PMS at home And later at GATX PMS stood for something yet completely different. Now I only have to deal with SPREC.