The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-14

forms the trainmen that everything is in
readiness Tor the trains departure Three
dispatchers, by means of telegraphy. keen
track OF the positions OF all trains on
tnat section Of the line, and receive and
dispatch every train starting from or ar
irving In the Grand Central station. When
&c Is remembered that the twenty-one
tracks in the station converge into four
In the line OF the road; that the schedule
Is arranged without any regard for ease
IN handling incoming and outgoing trains.
and that over 400 such trains must re-
ceive the attention of these dispatchers
day, the difficulties of their position can
readily be seen.
The aides-de-camp OF these railroad gem
erals are the men on duty at the switch
tower at Borty-sixth street. There are six
or these men. working eight hours each.
and their business is to throw the big
levers which operate the switches and sig
nails as ordered by the dispatchers. They
may appear to be mere machines, but their
work, which must be done exactly so, IL
very important to the safety OF the trav-
cling public. The switches have red and
white faces. and lights at night OF he
same color; when the train Is to proceed,
the white front is visible to the engineer
and he moves his train. This he continues
to do until the red side or light is seen,
when he must stop, as under no circum-
stances can he pass a red signal. This
keeps the trains within certain block
only few hundred feet apart on the main
line-and thus collisions are avoided.
Suburban trains and mail-cars are stor-
ed in the yards, but all other coaches
are brought from the shops at Mott
Haven. 1t Is S15, and the cars which
constitute the renowned Empire State ex-
press are backed into the station. This
is long, handsome train, and the en-
CINE, No. $40, which is coupled on to haul
tha fraf de- fnok
be applied to such a monster. While
this engine cannot make the time that
No 800. famed the land over, is capable
Of, still No. so is no snail, and in hauling
capacity exceeds her speedy rival The
"conceM pitch"-as the station agent ex-
presses it's sixty miles an hour, while
her running time is about fifty-two miles
per hour. AT $3.50 the first switch in front
of the engine turns and shows a white
face, then the gong sounds, and after the
last passenger Is hurried on to the train
the Empire moves grandly out of the sta.
ton, winding along as one white signal
after another greets the engineer until
she is running TO Buffalo at a sixty-miie-
an-hour clip.
A suburban train moves, loaded down
with New York business men. The engine
steams slowly In. when suddenly she iu-
creases her speed and, as the train has
been uncoupled, leaves her coaches be-
nlud. II Is what the tram men call
"1y SWITCH" for the engine goes or on
side track, the switch Is reversed and
the momentum of the train carries Il into
the station without the aid OF the engine.
This scheme is also followed with the
Through" trains excepting with what ara
called the Limited" but with the latter
time is more important than Is money
even. An extra fare Is charged for the
main reason that the trip is made in
greatly reduced time therefore every Sec
ond counts, and, In making the fly
SWITCH" the train must be slowed down
before the engine leaves II. resulting In
a loss Of time, and, in case the fly
switch" was a failure-which seldom oc-
ours however-a great amount of time
would be sacrificed. On these accounts the
limited tranis run "sold"-meaning that
the engine is attaehed--clear into the sta
tion.
Everything Is interesting IN and about
the station and yards. To get a general
or bird s-eye view of the operation of the
trains, one should take position upon a
viaduct-the Forty-seventh street viaduct
preferred. II this Is done, minutes will
fly by, and an hour can easily be spent
in watching the progress Of a variety Of
passenger trains.