Copyright © 2005 by Kelly S. Loyd
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Company Employee from January 1980 to May 1982
Permission granted to reproduce providing the copyright notice is kept intact.
Updated 16 May 2009
Preface The events portrayed in this story do not record an actual 'day' spent working at West Wye Tower, but do recollect many of the things that happened on the 2nd trick (4PM to Midnight) job, which I worked for 2 years. Some jobs always had to be done, for instance:- copying train orders, getting clearance for trains, working with 3 dispatchers, 2 yardmasters, 4 tower operators and an especially cranky trainmaster. Dedicated to Tower Operators and Dispatchers everywhere. Nobody sees them and the job is not glamorous, but without them trains would not be able go anywhere.
KCS Dispatcher "20 - 2 0 Miles Per
Hour - M P H between Milepost 56.2 5 6 point 2 and Milepost 57.1 5 7 point 1 C D A"
Train Crew "2061 to West Wye - any idea when we will get the signal?"
Me "20 - 2 0 Miles Per Hour - M P H between Milepost 56.2 5 6 point 2 and Milepost 57.1 5 7 point 1 C
D A"
KCS Dispatche "Okay West Wye, Pittsburg?"
Me "West Wye to 2061 over"
Train Crew "2061, go ahead"
Me "West Wye to 2061 - Traffic control says about 10 minutes - waiting for a Santa Fe to clear"
2061 "Okay"
Yard Switcher "4012 to West Wye, can we get the signal on the lead?"
I reach over and flick 24 Left.
4012 "Thank you!"
East Yardmaster "Kelly, where is number 2?"
Me "West Wye, Dispatcher"
KCS Dispatcher "Dispatcher, go ahead"
Me "Where is Number 2?"
KCS Dispatcher "Just passing Drexel"
Me "Thanks, dispatcher"
Me "Howard, Number 2 will be here in about an hour."
East Yardmaster "Okay, I will get Number 1 track cleared up."
I buzz KCT on the intercom.
KCT Operator "Terminal!"
Me "Yeah - how's it looking for this Milwaukee run through to the UP?"
KCT Operator "Bring 'em on, that Santa Fe is just about clear of Sheffield"
Me "Okay, here he comes"
Me "West Wye, 4012"
Yard Switcher "4012"
Me "You done with the lead?"
Yard Switcher "Just a minute, okay"
I wait for 4012 to shove back his long cut of cars down the yard lead. Great, he is off the circuit. I reach over and flick 22 Left. "You should have the signal now 2061". I've been waiting a while to get 2061 off the South track and out of my hair. "2061 is moving West Wye, thanks"
Here is a little
explanation about the layout. West Wye Tower has a Union Switch and Signal
Interlocking machine in the middle of the floor.
From the left to right, the
Interlocking machine has a desk, then the KCS desk, then the Milw/CNW desk with
the Intercom.
The KCS desk has all
of the KCS train orders and paper work, plus a microwave link base station transceiver
for the KCS Dispatcher. It has a Push to Talk microphone on the desk.
The Milw/CNW desk has all of the Milwaukee paper work, including Milwaukee clearance cards and train orders. It also has an intercom unit with gooseneck microphone, and two telephones on top of it. One phone is a 'Ma Bell' - normal outside lines and the other is a black phone which is Kansas City Terminal Railroad only. It uses 3 digit phone numbers. I can talk to the KCT, or Broadway Tower (MP), or AY tower (Santa Fe) or Ustick Tower (BN) on this phone.
The intercom unit connects with the Milwaukee Dispatcher, CNW Dispatcher, Truman Drawbridge, KCT Control and several Field units (these are speaker/mike combos that are mounted on steel pipes at junctions where clearance is required.)
When a trainman presses the call button on one of the field units, the intercom lets out a loud obnoxious high pitched squeal until I answer it or mute it. A blue light comes on to let me know which switch I need to operate and where it is that the crew is calling me from. I have a foot pedal to work my mike.
On the Milwaukee desk, I also have the Base station radio, I can speak with KCS or Milwaukee train crews on this.
Above is the panel layout for the US&S machine. All of the turnouts are odd numbers and all of the signals are even numbers. Both the left hand and right hand signal head is controlled by one switch on the panel. You cannot clear the signal both ways at the same time! That would cause a wreck for sure.
The panel was marked with the railroad initials, hence C.M.St.&P.R.R. is Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad - what a mouthful! We just said 'Milwaukee Road' or if you were in a hurry, 'Milwaukee'. The old joke around the tower was C.R.I.&P.R.R. ( Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad). My grandfather said it stood for 'Cry and Pee'. Other joke names were Big Nothing for Burlingon Northern, Santa Flush for the ATSF, Haywire for the KCS and Mop for the Missouri Pacific. The KCS was called the Haywire because they ran on the 'wrong side', e.g. left-hand running.
Next - The Shift starts