"All Aboard!": The Train Crew and Their Responsibilities

The Conductor is responsible for signaling the engineer when to start moving and when and where to stop.

How did the Conductor signal the Engineer? Did he have climb along the side of the fuel hopper to the locomotive, and across the top of the cars from the caboose if a freight train?
 
How did the Conductor signal the Engineer? Did he have climb along the side of the fuel hopper to the locomotive, and across the top of the cars from the caboose if a freight train?

"Since freight trains are not equipped with signal cords, the conductor and trainmen signal the engineer by means of hand, flag and lantern signals." http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/engineer.Html

engineer.jpg






The Locomotive Engineeer in the Cab


What boy has not thrilled at the sight of a huge locomotive! What boy has not dreamed of someday becoming a locomotive engineer! Poems have been penned, stories have been written and songs have been sung about the engineer "with his hand upon the throttle and his eye upon the rail." The locomotive engineer's job is fascinating to boys and men of all ages because it is a job of action, where things are happening constantly and where one must be on the alert at all times.

Under the expert control of the engineer, the big locomotive leaps into life and performs prodigious tasks. A powerful, throbbing piece of mechanism, the steam locomotive is a symbol of dynamic energy and strength.

The locomotive engineer must not only know how to run his engine, but he must also know a great deal about how it is built and how each part works, so that he will know what must be done if anything goes wrong while the engine is out on the road. Therefore, one who aspires to become a locomotive engineer usually starts as a machinist's or boiler maker's apprentice, or in some other beginner's job in a shop or roundhouse where locomotives are repaired. His next job may be that of a hostler, who runs the locomotives in and around the shops and repair yards but who does not drive an engine in main-line service, or his next job may be that of a locomotive fireman. The fireman's job furnishes the final training ground for the job of locomotive engineer. Every locomotive engineer is selected from the ranks of firemen.

When a man becomes a locomotive engineer, his first job is usually running a switching engine, pushing and pulling cars back and forth and making up trams in railroad yards. Then he is assigned to a local freight run, and finally, as he gains experience and seniority, he gets a fast or long distance freight or passenger run. Sometimes he may work during the daytime; sometimes at night; for railroads never sleep. Trains must be kept running at all hours.

Because the efficiency and safety of railway operations depend upon the skill and care and reliability of those who run the trains, the locomotive engineer and every other member of the train crew must not only be carefully trained for his job but he must also be sound of body and have good eyesight. He must be a man of good habits. He must possess an alert mind, and he must be dependable and trustworthy. The punctual operation of trains and the safety of passengers and express, mail and freight depend upon the reliability, intelligence and vigilance of those who operate the trains.

http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/engineer.Html
 
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"Since freight trains are not equipped with signal cords, the conductor and trainmen signal the engineer by means of hand, flag and lantern signals." http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/engineer.Html

engineer.jpg






The Locomotive Engineeer in the Cab


What boy has not thrilled at the sight of a huge locomotive! What boy has not dreamed of someday becoming a locomotive engineer! Poems have been penned, stories have been written and songs have been sung about the engineer "with his hand upon the throttle and his eye upon the rail." The locomotive engineer's job is fascinating to boys and men of all ages because it is a job of action, where things are happening constantly and where one must be on the alert at all times.

Under the expert control of the engineer, the big locomotive leaps into life and performs prodigious tasks. A powerful, throbbing piece of mechanism, the steam locomotive is a symbol of dynamic energy and strength.

The locomotive engineer must not only know how to run his engine, but he must also know a great deal about how it is built and how each part works, so that he will know what must be done if anything goes wrong while the engine is out on the road. Therefore, one who aspires to become a locomotive engineer usually starts as a machinist's or boiler maker's apprentice, or in some other beginner's job in a shop or roundhouse where locomotives are repaired. His next job may be that of a hostler, who runs the locomotives in and around the shops and repair yards but who does not drive an engine in main-line service, or his next job may be that of a locomotive fireman. The fireman's job furnishes the final training ground for the job of locomotive engineer. Every locomotive engineer is selected from the ranks of firemen.

When a man becomes a locomotive engineer, his first job is usually running a switching engine, pushing and pulling cars back and forth and making up trams in railroad yards. Then he is assigned to a local freight run, and finally, as he gains experience and seniority, he gets a fast or long distance freight or passenger run. Sometimes he may work during the daytime; sometimes at night; for railroads never sleep. Trains must be kept running at all hours.

Because the efficiency and safety of railway operations depend upon the skill and care and reliability of those who run the trains, the locomotive engineer and every other member of the train crew must not only be carefully trained for his job but he must also be sound of body and have good eyesight. He must be a man of good habits. He must possess an alert mind, and he must be dependable and trustworthy. The punctual operation of trains and the safety of passengers and express, mail and freight depend upon the reliability, intelligence and vigilance of those who operate the trains.

http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/engineer.Html
I'm totally off the subject, so if you want to delete this go ahead - just want to say, @Bee that I saw you and Al on a video from Gettysburg about Grant's memoirs. Do you guys go to all those things? I see you both a lot. Nice question you asked by the way.
 
How did the Conductor signal the Engineer? Did he have climb along the side of the fuel hopper to the locomotive, and across the top of the cars from the caboose if a freight train?
Conductors during the CW were young, strong and agile. They could easily pass over the cars the length of the train to give their message, if necessary. They also commanded the brakemen and could send one forward with orders.
 
I'm totally off the subject, so if you want to delete this go ahead - just want to say, @Bee that I saw you and Al on a video from Gettysburg about Grant's memoirs. Do you guys go to all those things? I see you both a lot. Nice question you asked by the way.

I go to a bunch of them. :smile:
 
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