Re: (erielack) EL way freight operations

[pat.moore_@_att.net]

Jim...

Thank you for your insightful post!  Up until a few days ago, it never occurred to me to ask how the crew of a drill would know when to pull empties from a spur.  Now I have a better idea about how the EL got things done on a daily basis.  

As far as I know, the EL kept a freight agent in Bath, NY, up until the end, although I don't know where because the Bath station was torn down by the 1970s.  I would imagine that he was the point of contact for the Wayland Turn, or at least that section of it.  

While I have your attention, what is this "drill slip" you speak of?  It is an official EL form, kind of like the "daily yard check" that I have?  If so, does anyone out there have a blank "drill slip" they would be willing to share?

- -pat moore
elhs #1719
modelling the EL Wayland Branch and B&H 

- -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: JG at graytrainpix <graytrainpix_@_hotmail.com>
>
> 
Regarding way freight operations, I never worked as a station agent, but I spent 
some time with working agents on the NY Division.  From what I remember, the 
drills (our usual term for way freight) would usually leave their terminal yards 
between 9am and 11am, and would meet up with an agent or clerk before getting 
down to work.  Often that meet up would take place at a station or freight house 
where the agent or clerk worked.  Sometimes the agent would work at a central 
location miles away from the crew's work zone; e.g., the Dundee branch in 
Passaic NJ had a dedicated crew, the Dundee Drill, but did not have an open 
station along it.  The branch was handled, I believe, by a clerk out of 
> Paterson.  
> 
The agent or clerk would present the crew with a drill slip showing what cars 
were ready to be pulled by late morning.  The crew would give the agent or clerk 
their waybills for loads being delivered, or empty car tickets for empties to be 
> loaded.  The agent would inform the crew what industries were ready for the 
> inbound cars on the drill; if the industry still had cars being loaded or 
> unloaded, the inbound car would be "constructively placed", i.e. spotted on a 
> near-by siding for delivery on the next work day (usually).  The crew would get 
> down to work and the agent or clerk would get back to his or her office.  
> 
> Later in the day, the crew and the agent or clerk would meet up again to update 
> their plans.  Perhaps one or two industries finished loading or unloading a car 
> during the afternoon, and the car could now be pulled.  Perhaps some of the 
> inbounds planned for delivery could not be placed, e.g. because of a track 
> problem or a minor derailment.  The crew conductor and agent or clerk would then 
> go their ways, after any new waybills or empty card tickets were given to the 
> crew, along with an updated drill slip.  The agent / clerk would probably close 
> up and head home long before the drill crew would.  On the next work day, the 
> crew would update the agent / clerk as to whether there were any further changes 
> during the final hours of work from the evening before.  
> 
> Of course there were many variations on this pattern, especially where crews 
> worked sidings late into the night, e.g. the second Passaic drill, the evening 
> Dover Drill, the Silver Lake Drill, etc.  These crews might have met with an 
> agent or clerk as they were coming on duty at around 4 PM, or might have 
> received their programs from the day-shift crews that they were relieving.  
> 
> I'm not sure this is 100% accurate, as it has been a long time since the EL days 
> (what, 32 years).  But it reflects the rough pattern, on the NY Division at 
> least.  Jim Gerofsky
> 
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