The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-06-20
WALKING A TRACK FOR A LINING.
It's UseeuI Though Not Pleasant oc-
nrttnr. "a EIarf1 Hen EnrM.

patton, as Msny Hen Know.
Some OF the old railroad track walkers
can boast Of records equal to that of loco
motives in the point of miles which they
have covered. Engineers sometimes claim
that they have ridden 20a,o3o miles or so,
but the men who have walked that FIR are
not often heard Of Still there are plenty
of them in the branch of the railroad serv-
ice of which the track walker" belongs.
They are the safeguard of travel which the
public knows least about. They prevent
hundreds Of accidents, but their good deeds
are rarely, il ever, rewarded, as is the case
with the faithful engineer or fagman
And It is 3 peculiar fact that there Is no
line Of promotion, consequently no great
incentive to careful work
A reporter got SONS ideas about their
duties from Thomas Sesnan, now foreman
of section of tracknen in the yard OF the
Grand Central station Sesaan has been
employed On the track work of the Harlem
railroad for forty-two years, and Is now
looked upon as a patriarch among the
trGckmen. He has had charge of gang
for the last eighteen years; before that he
was traekman himself. He says that he
helped to lay the second track OF the Har-
lem road IN 1S48, over which the New
haven road first entered the city.
Every piece Of railroad" he said, sis
divided into sections of from Eve to seven
miles, If it is single track, and from three
to four miles, if double. \ foreman with
a gang OF five or six men keeps each sec
ton in order. All but one are trocimen,
who are kept busy making repairs. That
one IS the track walker, who patrols the
tracks all day long with an eye out for
weak points and distractions which might
cause accidents. Of course there is a sec
ond track walker at night who does the
same work.
1.-THE track walkers outfit includes q
hammer, wrench, lantarn, red flag, a few
torpedoes, bolts and spikes. No, he doesn't
walk at pedestrian speed. His gait
shouldn't be more than two to three uAes
an hour. A man might hurry over the en-
tire ground inside Of an hour, but he
couldn't look at every bolt and rail connec-
ton as his duties require. If it's double
track read he walks on the track facing
the direction from which the train is com
ing and examines only one track at time
He takes the other track on the way back
A track walker gets over the ground, as
far as he is able, Just before the trains pass
over his section. But he keeps ct work all
day long, and If he has double track, di-
vided into three mile sections, he ought to
make about three round trips day over
each track. This would make days av-
erage Of twe0ty-fou- ratles.
''An experienced track walker can tell
loose bolt at a glance Sometimes it viii
be caused by broken rail, and he will see
that the joints do not 1T Generally
loose joint will DE indicated by disturb
ance Of the earth, causing a crevice be
tween the sleeper and the rail In this
ccse the track walker props the rail with
a thin piece of wood, which he must carry
in his outfit Fish plates and angle plates
are distributed along the line, end the
track walker sometimes has to replace
broken plates If there isn't time for the
section gang to coma up before train is
due. In csse of a broken rail or obstruo-
tions which he can't handle the track
walker puts torpedOes on the tracks and
uses his red flag TO warn q passing train
Then he leaves his patrol and informs the
foreman and trackman as soon as possible,
In emergency cases at night the track
walker wraps his red flag about the Ian
tern as a signal. Torpedoes are used also.
Il meyer heard of a track walkers being
promoted toa better paying position Once
a track walker always u track walker"
Anybody can get such job, then" sug-
gested the reporter.
Not bit Of it," retorted the patriarch.
you couldn't, for instance I'd Ike to
see you bolt on one OF those angle plates;
and you'd have to do it IN case of emer-
gency. A man must have experience as a
trackaan first. The foreman picks his
track walker out OF the trackmen. Their
pay is all the saEne-aboUt 81 Is day. But
If there is any promoting being done, the
track walker Is never the lucky oae- Some
trackE2Gn gets the raise. The track walker
must 20 back to the sec.ion gang again if
no expects To get up in the world
Gas q rule, track walkers kceo at &c all
their lives. A m8n who worked under me
on the section bearsseu PhiImoAt and CrAry-
vile, on the Harlem road, a trip six miles
long, made two round trips o day. He
started from Philmort at e. m, and by
the end OF che first roSnd trip of twelve
miles it veg noon and he gnt dinner. An
other trip and no gave way TO aRotheG man
at .. n. This man, Michael lsEChath,
kept up his twenty-four miles walk about
every day in the year for eighteen years.
Reckoning $50 days to tho year, this makes
more that Us, 900 miles. Many track walk
ers have kept 1t up lOnger. Amaa on the
Erie says he has walked moro than 200, 600
miles
THE unpleasant part comes in rainy or
wintry weather. OF course If the snow is
six inches deep On the tracks, the track
walker can't see the rails, let alone the
loose bolts, and this is the only time he geta
a holiday. But the chances are that he
will have to turn IN with the rest Of the
section gang and help clear the road -
New York Sun