Re: (erielack) Railroad Telegraphy.

["David J. Monte Verde" <dmvgvt_@_earthlink.net>]

OS'ers and open Stations that OSed trains(I have been told that OS= On
Station, but I have also heard it is On Circuit, but I don't know where the
"S" came from)  gave a dispatcher train location information on large
sections of railroad where they had automatic signals and which they were in
between control points(CP*). For example on the DL&W: Buffalo to B&O Jct.(CP
location), there and PRR Junction Mt. Morris (open station), Mt Morris &
Groveland (CP location), there and Dansville (open station), there and
Wayland (CP location), there Cohocton (open station) and Bath (CP location.

The Erie also had a large area that had automatics (and no CTC Control
Points CP's) between Hornell and Corning, with, maybe in early years with
open stations (to OS trains) at Canisteo, Cameron, and Addison.

 An interesting thing about the Erie they had "poor man's CTC", this is
where there was a double semaphore and the  dispatcher could set the lower
blade semaphore to stop (remotely from his office), and the train would stop
and call the dispatcher and be told to open the switch and take the siding.
The Erie had these at Canaseraga west,and in between Addison and Cameron,
both locations had a center siding where it could be used by either a
eastbound or westbound train, with a universal crossover at bot ends. Each
of these locations had a telegraph call letter name like "QN" which was on a
metal plate on the signal. They also had a double semaphore at "VN" just
west of Hornell for a train to stop and call the dispatcher for instructions
on yarding his train at Hornell. VN and the center siding along with the
double semaphores lasted into Conrail, the Addison center siding was
eliminated in EL days, but appeared in some later timetables with its "two
letter call" name but was only a crossover.

Can anyone look up the call letters for these center sidings? I believe that
the ERIE had center sidings and "Poor Man's CTC" elsewhere?

Regards David MV

*CP's or Control Points was a name that was coined later I believe? The
Lackawanna did have CTC (Centralized Traffic Controlled) locations at B&O
Jct., Groveland, Wayland, and Bath that sent back train location as a train
approached these points, and there were automatic block signals in between
that gave no train location back to the dispatcher. They merely kept the
trains safely spaced, & dispatch relied on open stations to OS the trains by
them which he would write on his dispatcher's sheet, and thereby know when
they would be at the next CP, if he was anticipating a siding meet for this
train.

Being somewhat prodigious, the Lackawanna's Buffalo Division was quite a
fast piece of railroad with a nice signaling system in place (with cab
signals) that moved the varnish & freight!

Regards David MV

- ----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Smtimko_@_aol.com>
To: <martinpl3_@_earthlink.net>; <dmvgvt@earthlink.net>;
<erielack_@_lists.railfan.net>
Cc: <drums3386_@_yahoo.com>; <caltrains@cboss.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2004 3:40 PM
Subject: Re: (erielack) Railroad Telegraphy.


> The EL (Erie) had automatic OS'ers on the 1st Sub Divn between SN and
North
> Randall.
>
> I'm not certain if it was in the double track era or after the line was
> reduced to single track but I think it was the former.
>
> When a train passed a location---Solon, Mantua, Jeddoe or Garrettsville,
or
> wherever they were, one of those points the automatic OS'er would send out
a
> code on the DS line, and it would continue to send the code until the DS
would
> 'ring' it off.  Each of the locations had a specific code, such as 2 long,
2
> short or 1 short, 3 long, etc.
>
> By the time that I started working in the DS office (on the first sub) in
> about 1967, they were gone.  You could not rely on them to report a train
'clear'
> but you knew where the train was.
>
> Hopefully Cal Banse can add to this info as I'm certain he used them.
>
> SMT
>

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