Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-04

proper the through passenger trains are
taken up first. This is necessary because
| OF the fact that connections must be made
al various points with the other through
| lines. After they have been satisfactorily
disposed of the local passenger trains are
taken up in their order These are rather
more difficult to place because they dare
| not interfere with the through trains and
also because they make more stops and
| are consequently more liable to interfere
| with fast-running trains.
| The Problem of Freight Trains.
| hen they also have been cared for
the through freight trains are given their
time and position. After these come the
| LEGAL freights and then the coal trains.
In the arrangement of the latter the ex-
perience and good judgment of the division
suferintendents find full exercise There
| Is IN reallty no fixed principle upon which
| they work except that as many as must he
run are sandwiched between the passenger
trains. The railway manager who can
dispose OF the greatest number of freight
ana coal trains without interfering with
the passenger department is regarded as
the most successful in his line and Al
thoush only q trainmaster or a local super
,in mas every possibility of adj
Another fact l would like to call YOUR
attention to is that there is as much diff
ference as day from night between the
time table made for the public Informal
ton and the one issued to the employees.
The former you know all about. Now look
at that one hanging in the frame over
there on the wall. 1t is as bad as Chinese
puzzle to those not in the railroad bust
ness.
Every train that goes over our divi-
sion, no matter what its Importance NAV
De- as given place thereon, with its time
at even the smallest station and important
sidings. In this way conductors and en-
gineers know exactly what is moving over
the road and govern themselves accord
troll r,C
cut them, as they would never know when
to dodge back into a siding or when to
come out. Extra trains are taken care of
through special orders.
"Of course, copies of new schedules arc
sent out and posted in every station. This
is not only for the purpose of enlightening
the public, but Is also intended as an aid
to the train hands. As a rule the lattar
carry copies OF the new ARRANGEMENT in
their pockets until the paper they are
printed On becomes threadbare or is worn
to pieces. Artistically designed boards are
used by many of the more careful hands
to hold the schedules and in this way they
are always preserved in good condition.
F"rsetfulness. Then Disaster.
In my early days of railroading it fire.
quently occurred that the more hardened
men on the road would make wagers as to
which road would catch the wreck that
was almost sure to follow when the new
lime tables went into effect. A dozen or
more roads would be chosen and then each
man placed a dollar in the pool | recall
as II yesterday one of these pools that /
was persuaded to enter and through my
own neglect won the money.
AT that time I was working for the Bal
timore and Ohio. 1t was back in the COS
and you can readily understand that every
thing was done haphazard. The day after
a new schedule went into effect was con-
ductor ON an ca jt-bound freight Before |
pulling out l had entered the pool with the |
boys, and in a spirit of brayado had chosen |
my own road. For years it had been the |
custom to stop on a long siding not a hum |
dred miles from Washington. and there |
Wait for west-bound express train When |
the new schedule came we found that our |
lying over place had been shifted to siding |
ten miles further vest
BEFORE starting on the trip l went TO the |
engineer and called his attention to the |
change. Well, we came east from Cumber
Ian- on the jump l was in the cab With |
the engineer and fireria.i, and all three of
us were INDUCING in jokes and StSsias
the Opportunity offered The
night was a dark enc, but that made no diff
ference with u.s.
When the siding came at which we
sheuld have stopped the engineer was in |
the midst of a little song that was not of
the most chaste character, and of course |
we were enjoying It. Just this side of the
siding there is hill about five miles long
and as we were sailing down this incline
the thought came to us of the error we had
made To say that we turned white but
poorly describes our facial expression
think we turned yellow. There was no
checking that train inside Of six miles The
engineer called for brakes, however, and