The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1898-12-01
RUNNING A FAST EXPRESS.
The Train Dispatcher Eas More to Do
With 1t Than the Engineer.

With 1t Than the Engineer.
George EthelDert Walsh contrib
utes an article ON Running the
Fast Express" TO St. Nicholas. Mr..
Walsh says:
The eyes of the engineer are on
the clock and time table before him,
and he keeps a sharp lookout ahead.
For various reasons he may fall
few minutes behind hand at one
point, but he manages to make up
the loss at another. He has certain
stops to make, and lie makes all
speed possible between them. Brt
he is not master OF tho road. AT
any moment a danger signal along
the line may confront him. Eo may
be ordered 10 bring his train to
standstill at q email way station and
there receive telegraph!c orders TO
run on siding. He asas no cues
tions, but obeys orders. Five min
utes later q special MAJ rush past
him, ard then the signals are set
again, warming the engineer of the
express that he must make up for
lost time.
To understand this delay ard the
sudden changes made III the tine
table it Will be necessary to go back
to the headquarters ard 10 watch
the general superintendent and the
train dispatcher. Although many
trains running On the line are hun
dreds of miles away, the exact posi-
ticn Of every one every second II
the hour is known and recoyded.
A telegraph operator is working in
dustriously il the Office OF the train
dispatcher, receiving and sending
orders. The running orders of all
the trains a-e directed from this
Office. Each engineer has orders to
make a certain run according TO the
time table unless other orders from
headquarters interfere.
If an accident happens on the
road, the train dispatcher knows it
almost as soCn as the passengers. A
breakdown of some local train on
the main line may upset all the cal
culations of the day. Immediately
the expresses running on that line
must be stopped before collision
occurs. A snowstorm may blockade
a train on the northern branch Cf
the road, and thereby make neces-
sary change in the regular sched-
! ule
A train from the west is half an
hour behind perhaps and this inter
feres with the regular running Of
the other trains. Arrangements
must be made to let trains pass
without accident. The express trains
nearly always have the right Of
way. A western express may be be-
hind time and start out five minutes
ahead of some special express. In
this instance it must give the spe-
cial the right of way, and it is
forced upon some siding. The sre-
cial express passes without losing a
minute.
There are 80 trains coming and
going, one behind time. another
ahead, probably, and each crowding
out another. The train dispatcher
has to regulate this tangle and keep
things running smoothly. Thus it
is that the engineer of a fiier may
suddenly find himself side II acked.
Should the train dispatcher make
! a mistake, or fail to make arrange
ments for two fast moving trans,
the block signal system would prob
ably prevent an ac cident The blocl;
towers are connected by telegraph
lines and a bell code enables the
men to communicate directly with
each other. They can stop train
at any moment by means of their
signals, independent of orders from
headquarters. Thus the engineer
depends entirely upon others to
keep the track clear, and be merely
runs his train as near schedule time
as possible and keeps his iron steed
in perfect condition.