File:The boys' book of railroads (1921) (14758754664).jpg

Identifier: boysbookofrailro00crum (find matches)
Title: The boys' book of railroads
Year: 1921 (1920s)
Authors: Crump, Irving, 1887-1979
Subjects: Railroads
Publisher: New York, Dodd, Mead and company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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drawer. At West Point,within hearing distance of the army academy,almost under the nose of Federal authority, suchan act was committed. It would seem from thisthat the average station agent has something toworry about. Yet the station agent takes his task in the sameway that an engineer takes the job that is beforehim. Again it is all in a days work. Butthe days work of the small town agent is likelyto be far more than the work of so many hours.Indeed, it seems never ending in many instances,so many are his duties. The station agent of a small town must firstof all be a thoroughly trained A No. 1 telegraphoperator. This is essential, for the telegraph isthe nerve system of the railroad on the smoothoperation of which depends the safety of the en-tire line. Paralleling every set of railroad tracksis a telegraph line that touches every station andsignal tower. The whole line is one long cir-cuit, so to speak, and by means of it headquartersand every station agent on the line can keep in
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Changing rails between trains means hard work for thesection gang II kf Bit i -# <i bs^s C9TI 1. \ The station agent is a man of many responsibilities THE STATION AGENT 93 touch with every moving object on the rails. Allimportant messages concerning train operationsare sent over these wires and each station agentcan read them and translate them into writtenmessages. All orders to trains upon the line are sentand delivered by way of the telegraph and thestation agent. A freight may leave the ter-minal yard with definite orders to go throughto a given point before side tracking to permita faster train to pass. When the freight is halfway up the line it may be necessary to send aflying special, perhaps the wrecking train, tosome point, and this special must have a cleartrack. Orders are flashed ahead by telegraphand are received by the station agent throughwhose station the freight will soon pass. He im-mediately flags the train and gives the conductorthe order for a clear line, and t

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