Connecticut western news., 1882-04-12
RAILROAD TRAIN SCIENCE.
How a Vast Business is Done on a Single Track--The Train Dis patoher Watching the Whole Road Day and Night.

From the St. Louis Post-DispAteh.1
 ~"No, sir," said well-known railroad man of this city recently, lit would be utterly impossible to conduct the rail- road traffic of to-day without the tele- graph. Unaided, our roads could not do hundredth part of the business they now do; and that is about equal to saying that without the telegraph railway transit would be fifty times as expensive as 1t is today" AltsA8ngh the railroad ante-dated the telegraph, yet it's workings up to the introduction of the latter were exceedingly restricted. When inventive man had gotten the railroad into fair shape, he had acquired a highway which was too fast for him. All he could do was to start the big holse at one end and let him go. If the horse had to meet other horses, he took his chances of a smash-up, or else pro- gressed very slowly. Then it was that MT. Morse harnessed up electricity to run ahead on wire and pilot the horse, and ever since electricity has been largely engaged in this kind of work. No railroad of any length can exist without 8 telegraph.
 What an exceedingly nice accurate task 1t is to hurry fifty strains over a road with fifty more to meet them. To construct time table of road for every train and every point is difficult thing to do at leisure; yet the whole schedule may be, and constantly is, upset, and then must be immediately read1usted.
 But while we sleep or thoughtlessly pass the hours of travel away, there is man far away who is watching us, and watching every other train, too, upon the road. He knows just where we are, and can put his finger upon us at each and every minute of the day or night. If our train gets into any trouble which causes more than few minutes delay, he will be informed of the fact and take charge of us by wire, and also take charge of all other trains which can possibly approach us either way. This man is called the train dispatcher, and he has his office generally at that point of the line where the main offices of the road are. Upon him far more than any conductor or engineer may depend the safety of the traveller. A few careless ticks with his right hand at critical moment may cause fearful collision. Every station agent or operator is his agent to inform him of the time of the passage of every train. Even if one or more trains are behind time, he knows just the time at which they each left their last station, and consequently at what time they ought to arrive at their next. Every item of such telegraph information received from off the road is, of course, filed for reference. As long as every train is up to time, or to within certain agreed upon limit, the train dispatcher has only machine labor to perform. But suddenly, while in this state of listless waiting, word comes from Station 23 of delay or small accident there. Now is the time for the train dispatcher to open his weather eye. He scans the road to see what trains are near Station 29. If there are any such they must at once be "given orders," so that they may avoid all dan ger, and yet lose as little time as pos sible. If the accident is one which it will take several hours to repair, then, of course, greater number of trains will have to be attended to. The dis. patoher must know where all switches are and their capacity.
 The work IS not very difficult when there is trouble at only one point. Sup. pose there is trouble at two or three points, so that in a few hours every train each Nay is thrown out of time, then it Is that clearheadedness comes into prominence. He has every train ''under orders," and he is in oommuni. cation continually with nearly every conductor or station operator on the road. He must still make the best dis. position possible of all the track that is open, move along all trains that car be moved. The reader can we'll under stand that the situation may become extremely complicated. Nevertheless the skillful train dispatcher will bring everything out all right, barring, o course, some delay to passengers anG merchandise. Mir. Warden Cummings now Division Superintendent of tho Missouri Pacific, boasts that years ago when he was train dispatcher on tn, line between Pittsburgh and Crestline O., he once had seventy trains on tn, road (thirty-fve each way), and eacl and every train out of time, yet h.
 brought them all through slick ans sound and without unnecessary delay There are, of course, many others o the profession who have had simila experiences.
 When station operators lose thei connections with the main office the, at once notify all trains on their division of the fact, and conductors and engi neers have to use great caution an' run very slowly. The passenger neve ) allows himself to think of such a caus,
 as this when he finds the train creepinl
 along. He don't know that his train
 perhaps running haphazard, and feelinl
 for 8 train known to be approachin, ; from the opposite direction.
 In sending so many dispatches to E. r many points and giving such diverse d rections, there is, of course, a liabilit