Other formats

    TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 2, Issue 10 (February 1, 1928)

Railroading in the United States of America

page 14

Railroading in the United States of America.

The chief purpose of this article is to interest the readers of the New Zealand Railways Magazine in American railroad pracetice as seen from a visitor's point of view.

First of all one cannot make a comparison between American and New Zealand methods of railroading and say, fairly, that one system is better than the other. It is a well known fact that population, trade and commerce generally, are the fundamental causes which initiate the construction of railroads, and dictate, technically speaking, the methods of operation. A fair comparison in this respect, between New Zealand and the United States is, therefore, out of the question in view of the magnitude of the pop[gap — ]lation and trade of the United States. Let us, instead, take a look into the working conditions of the American train running staff.

On The South Australian Railways. New type of flat wagon loaded with 699 bags of barley consigned from Meetson to Melbourne.

On The South Australian Railways.
New type of flat wagon loaded with 699 bags of barley consigned from Meetson to Melbourne.

A young man whose ambition it is to become the driver of a locomotive in the States must first pass a very searching physical examination. He must also be prepared to give a very satisfactory account concerning the previous five years of his life. (The Company which engages a man for employment investigates the reliability of the statements an applicant writes down on his personal record chart.)

Assuming a candidate has passed successfully his examinations, he will be given a chance to learn to fire an engine, at his own expense. A permit is given him to ride on the engine of any freight train and he must present a paper, for the enginedriver to sign at the end of each trip, concerning his progress, etc. The length of time a candidate must wait before getting his paper signed “O.K. for service” depends upon his own ability; but the period is very rarely under five or six weeks of continuous effort, as each engineer is reluctant to write the necessary “O.K.” which will start the man to work. In many instances it means two months of such preparatory work for beginners, so a great percentage of young men get tired of the no-pay proposition. Other find the job is not what they anticipated it would be. Only the keen and ambitious see it through.

The patience of the successful candidate, must, however, endure much more yet; because, after his name is registered in the Master Mechanics' office, he may have to wait a considerable time before he will be required for duty. When such registration has been made, the candidate's name will be chalked up at the foot of the “Extra Board” and he will be called to work in his turn. Throughout the busy months he will get fairly regular work. The busy season on any one division lasts only two or three months, after which he will be “laid off” altogether for that year. If a candidate desires to hold his seniority and earn promotion, he must return to work within thirty days of the receipt of notice to do so from the Master Mechanics' office. It would take a candidate from four to five years before he could hold his job on the division the year round. Of course, during the time he is “laid off” it is quite in order and possible for him to “hire out” on other roads where business is brisk. Such men are known in the States as “boomers.”

One can see easily that only the keenest kind of railroad men survive their apprenticeship. There are thousands of railroad men in the United States who never so survive and, consequently, they roam round the country from one busy section of railroad to another. It is a common sight to see firemen, brakemen, and switchmen congregating at some busy railroad centre waiting in the hope that they might hire out for three, or sometimes only two months' work; moreover, there is always a big surplus left page 15 without work after the vacancies have been filled. (The Companies like to see such a state of affairs because, under it, they never experience a lack of labour and it produces a discipline among their employees they could never otherwise enforce.)

A brakeman in his class of work, before he earns promotion to conductor, must go through the same preliminary as a fireman. The same applies to switchmen and to shunters before they earn a guard master's job.

Sixty-One Years Ago. Driver, Fireman and Guard. (Messrs. A. McGarvie, J. Hislop, and T. Dennis) of the Invercargill-Bluff train (broad gauge), 1867.

Sixty-One Years Ago.
Driver, Fireman and Guard.
(Messrs. A. McGarvie, J. Hislop, and T. Dennis) of the Invercargill-Bluff train (broad gauge), 1867.

A freight train crew in the United States comprises the engineer, fireman, conductor and from three to four brakemen. A brakeman, to the average New Zealand railroad man, is an unknown type. In America, however, he is a very necessary member of the train crew for the safe handling of the enormous trains there run. It is considered one of the most dangerous of jobs. His place is to ride on the roof of the cars so as to be able to look out for “stuck brakes,” hot boxes and other irregularities. It is his duty also while the train is standing on the main line, to do the necessary “flagging.” He must also open switches and close them on the arrival and departure of trains at meeting points.

The automatic semaphore signal with the Train Order system of working, is universal in America. The rules and laws governing them are the same on all the principal lines. The train crews, in the course of their work, have to look out themselves for all regular trains and arrange their meeting points so as not to cause any delay. The trains run in three classes—first, second and third class trains. Passenger trains are first class, merchandise and manifest freight are second class, and local, mixed, extra freight and work trains (or any train not running under timetable schedule), is of the third class.

All second and third class trains must keep out of the way of first class trains, by being in the siding of a station at least five minutes before the time due for a first class train to arrive. The same conditions exist between second and third class trains. There is also a spocified “Superior direction” which provides for a train to be superior to another by the direction in which it is running. For instance, say westbound trains are superior to eastbound trains, and two trains of the same class are due to pass each other at a given station: the eastbound train would take the siding and the westbound train would hold the main track, it being the superior train by direction. Of course a train—any train—can be made superior to another by Train Order and such a train would be known as a train of “Superior right.”

When a train leaves its initial station a Clearance Form and Train Orders are handed to the enginemen and conductor, in addition to which the train continues to pick up its orders at different points along the route. The Train Orders give notification to the train crew where to meet unscheduled trains where speed boards are located, etc. They also give information regarding any timetable or regular trains that are running late (hours and minutes), so that the driver can arrange his “meets” accordingly.

Railroad employees' wages are fairly high in the States, the average pay for an ordinary day's work for engineers and firemen is 32s. and 22s. 6d. respectively. For conductors and brakemen it is 28s. and 20s. per day. During a busy season when the railroads reach the peak of their business double of the above amounts can be earned, as the whole division will be working at high pressure—at these times the men are very often working for sixteen hours a day. (The cost of living in America is about the same as in New Zealand, but the standard of living is higher. More luxuries are indulged in. The Americans are good spenders, a fact which assists to promote the prosperity of their country.)

page 16

One may grasp an idea of the business boom from a consideration of the fact that the Southern Pacific Company alone—during the autumn of last year—transported twenty-six thousand cars of grapes and several thousand cars of peaches out of California over and above its ordinary freight and passenger service.

The train crews of America usually spend every other night away from their home stations as there are very few “turn around” jobs in the freight and passenger services. The Railroad Companies do not pay lodging or meal allowances (as does our own Department) which fact adds much to an American railroad man's expenses. Good clubs, however, are provided at all railroad termini where men may obtain beds and meals at very reasonable rates.

These clubs are for the railroad staff exclusively. Besides providing accommodation they foster the get-together spirit and promote good fellowship. Most of the talk is of railroads and of the innumerable operating problems concerning them. The clubs seem to be places of education at any hour of the day or night. Literature is provided, and there are also good general libraries, including books upon the latest inventions of railroad apparatus and equipment.

Nearly all freight trains in America are “Extra trains,” i.e., trains which are not under timetable schedule. Men running such trains are in the “Pooled freight” service, and the system of working is, first in, first out—with no allotted time at which to return to work after each run. The men have to keep in touch with the office so that the “call boy” will know where to find them when required.

Promotion is gained by seniority of service. When any regular run becomes vacant the fact is advertised on the Bulletin Board for fourteen days, and anyone may make a bid for the position. The man with the most seniority is given the run. Again, if any man covets a run held by another with less seniority than himself, he can, by notifying the office, acquire such run immediately. This practice is known as “bumping.” It will thus be seen that the principle of seniority of service is adhered to more rigidly on the American railroads than on the railways of New Zealand.

Invercargill Locomotive Running Shed, 1895.

Invercargill Locomotive Running Shed, 1895.