Jeff Cooney, you wondered how the collision could have occurred between a KCS train and a motorcar 100 years ago. I can speculate in that, having run quite a bit using a timetable, bucking the times of scheduled trains. The dispatcher threw a monkey wrench into the works with that train order. Timetables specify where opposing regular trains meet. Train 1 always meets Train 2 at A and Train 4 at B. We had to have that timetable memorized, as you dont have time to pull it out and check it when you have 21 trains (not counting following sections) to meet as I did at one time. I have assumed the first section schedule of a train before, where the real Train 1 was the following section. Train 1, now running as Second Train 1, would be instructed to meet Train 2 at the usual sidings, but First Train 1 would sometimes advance on the schedule under train order authority and move ahead one siding for one or more meets. On a busy railroad with lots of station work, it can be easy to forget about that train order and try to meet at the usual place. It was much safer to leave the meets alone and let the toe sections meet their opposing trains at the same place. Sections were often so close together (10 minutes apart was standard) that there was little delay to opposing trains.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 01:02:57 +0000
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