Nostalgia & History > Train Order Tuesday

In 1973, I decided to try Train Dispatching on the Rock Island.  I hired out on the Rock Island as a
Telegrapher in 1966.  They sent me to Des Moines (where all of the North end Dispatchers were located)
to train.  The first job that I worked on my own was the Illinois desk which was all double track with a branch
to Peoria and another to La Fayette, Illinois.  The second desk that I worked was the East Iowa.  This consisted
of the Iowa Main from Davenport (Mo Div Jct) to Des Moines (Short Line). Also the "KD" line from Altoona to
Keokuk and the line from Burlington to Manly.  This line had a branch from Vinton (my hometown) to Iowa Falls.
When the branch job got to Vinton, they needed Train Order(s) to run to Cedar Rapids Yard.  The Vinton Agent
would be called out on OT to copy the orders.When the Agt reported in, I told him to "Copy 9 East".
(see order number 241 in the Train Order Book).  After he repeated the order and cleared the train, I told him to
hang on to the extras and I would be up to get them sometime.  On the RI each train was given 4 copy's of each order/clearance.
Someone (I no longer remember who) gave me the Train Order book after the shut down.
zr190

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I couldn't find a 1973 ETT so 1974 will have to do.
At that time, RI had several P&LE U25B's leased.
zr190



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/11/20 04:52 by zr190.

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I hung out at so many interlocking towers and small-town depots (and even the occasional dispatching office) back in the 1970s up to the mid-80s, trying to soak up as much as I could about train order operation. I met some very sharp people back then. Today, as a rail, I still occasionally refer to a track warrant as a "train order," earning me all kinds of strange looks from coworkers 20-30 years younger than I.

Thank you for sharing your great story, and the accompanying documents.

I always referred to the "train messages" on CSX as train orders, and the release form as a clearance card. Trainmasters didn't like it.

When I was doing my brakeman/switchman's training on Uncle Pete down at Short Line yard in the late 1990s, some of the old CNW heads said that when the CNW took everything over there the top floor of the building they called the old Roller Dome was full of RI records going back into the 1960s.  Old train order books, dispatcher's train sheets, train orders sent in for retention from depots, etc.  They said most of it went into the garbage.

Some of it survived.  I have some old train sheets and a few train order books myself.  I probably got them from the same person you did.

I have a few RI Train sheets from around 1975 1976. Even some TO's from West Liberty.

MILW86A

> Someone (I no longer remember who) gave me the
> Train Order book after the shut down.

Cool thing to have. I wanted to get my first B&OCT trainsheet, but the warehouse they were stored in burned down. I got my first BN train order book, though.

TAW

You learn a lot about TO/TT by these books. You can see how the whole picture comes together. Most enjoyable reading

I could have took the Manual Block sheet from the former Hobson TO office from a day in 1982 for the Conrail West VIrginia Secondary when I was on Sperry. It was 1996 and I was going to ask the Roadmaster but work got in the way and I forgot, so it probably sat for that long only get trashed later.

Jim

 Great post, DDA.  Was the operator copying the order at Vinton a Mr. Polzien?  I think I recognize his signature. If so it would have been the same gentleman that was the last agent at Solon.

AOH