During summer breaks from college in the late 1960s, I worked the extra board as a main line brakeman on the Penn Central between Toledo and Cleveland, Ohio. One afternoon, our eastbound manifest freight was put in a siding to clear one of the two mains for the westbound RBB&B Circus train. ~ Because of its "antique" rolling stock, the circus train was operating at a restricted 45mph on what was otherwise 60mph-(freight)-limit track. I was startled when I saw the haze of gray smoke that accompanied the entire length of the train. I asked our conductor, who was on the ground with me stretching our legs, if we should signal their passing caboose of one of the dangers for which you inspected passing trains. He chuckled at my newbie enthusiasm and pointed out that the circus train cars were mostly still equipped with journal box axle bearings and that a miasma of smoke was pretty typical for such ancient equipment. ~ Prior to the preponderance of radio communication, hand signals held sway. it was SOP to inspect passing trains and signal their crew with either a "highball" wave or one designating some noted danger or problem. For instance, the "smoke" signal was holding your nose; "locked brakes" was sliding your palms against each other. Immediately following, you'd indicate the location on their train by giving a count from the "head end," tapping your head, or the "tail end," tapping your butt, then finger flashing the number of cars, holding up your hands and opening and closing your fingers rapidly. As trains were often passing one another at high speeds, the signaling had to be very quick to be discernible. These and other elaborate hand signals could look like a strange dance on a rapidly receding caboose platform-like an industrial Macarena. ~ Even though their old equipment had a certain traditional, classic appeal, it's good to see that RBB&B updated their rolling stock. Thanks for the vid.
+Gene Rybarczyk Your welcome and thanks for sharing your story. I volunteer as a trolley motorman and train brakeman/conductor at the Orange Empire Railway Museum which is located in Perris, California. For a large part we have operating equipment that still has the old journal boxes and friction bearings in them which are inspected regularly to make sure there is enough oil inside. If you haven't yet looked at some of my other videos feel free to check them out as some were taken at the museum.
+Weldy Media Productions - I've been browsing; I particularly enjoyed "The OERM on 11/04/2012." Most PC cabooses, during my seasonal tenures, were "bay window" models, without a cupola. Though I got to ride in a couple cupolas, as the perennial new guy, I was generally relegated to head-end duties, the guy who got to climb down from the engine and perform any switching work during our road journeys. Back then, because of union influence, state law required a five man crew: conductor, engineer, fireman, and two brakemen (head man in the engine and flagman in the caboose). Contrary to the straw title, the head man was actually the low man on the train crew totem pole.
Thank you and that is interesting I enjoy learning more history about trains and railroading. The museum has one former Southern Pacific bay window caboose preserved in the collection. The museum www.oerm.org, facebook.com/orangeempirerailwaymuseum/?fref=ts. The museum's website is undergoing updates and improvements so some sections of the site may not be accessible for a while but the facebook page is fairly active. In case you are interested the museum is open 9-5 every day all year except for two days, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Train and trolley rides at the museum generally start at 11:00 and end 4:00/1600.
+Weldy Media Productions - Much as I enjoy old railroad stuff-I was lucky enough to live in a house overlooking the Durango and Silverton tracks one year-my traveling days are over. Here, in Tucson, I'm lucky if I can even hear a train horn on a quiet Sunday morning. Poor, sad, deprived me. Still, I get wide-screen cab rides on trains all over the world, a much better view than a sideways passenger POV, and you even managed to get me up into a cupola, for the first time in close to fifty years. So, in your volunteer work, record those vids that show viewpoints not generally available to most folks, but mostly just enjoy the heck out of it.
***** Due to being busy I haven't for a few years been able to find time to take video of trains but I am glad you liked some of the videos I have taken. One short video I have also is an in-cab video from on board a former Santa Fe FP45 that is at the museum. I may try to get video of it this year if I can as it is expected to possibly return to operational status sometime this year after a 4 year restoration.
During summer breaks from college in the late 1960s, I worked the extra board as a main line brakeman on the Penn Central between Toledo and Cleveland, Ohio. One afternoon, our eastbound manifest freight was put in a siding to clear one of the two mains for the westbound RBB&B Circus train.
~
Because of its "antique" rolling stock, the circus train was operating at a restricted 45mph on what was otherwise 60mph-(freight)-limit track. I was startled when I saw the haze of gray smoke that accompanied the entire length of the train. I asked our conductor, who was on the ground with me stretching our legs, if we should signal their passing caboose of one of the dangers for which you inspected passing trains. He chuckled at my newbie enthusiasm and pointed out that the circus train cars were mostly still equipped with journal box axle bearings and that a miasma of smoke was pretty typical for such ancient equipment.
~
Prior to the preponderance of radio communication, hand signals held sway. it was SOP to inspect passing trains and signal their crew with either a "highball" wave or one designating some noted danger or problem. For instance, the "smoke" signal was holding your nose; "locked brakes" was sliding your palms against each other. Immediately following, you'd indicate the location on their train by giving a count from the "head end," tapping your head, or the "tail end," tapping your butt, then finger flashing the number of cars, holding up your hands and opening and closing your fingers rapidly. As trains were often passing one another at high speeds, the signaling had to be very quick to be discernible. These and other elaborate hand signals could look like a strange dance on a rapidly receding caboose platform-like an industrial Macarena.
~
Even though their old equipment had a certain traditional, classic appeal, it's good to see that RBB&B updated their rolling stock. Thanks for the vid.
+Gene Rybarczyk Your welcome and thanks for sharing your story. I volunteer as a trolley motorman and train brakeman/conductor at the Orange Empire Railway Museum which is located in Perris, California. For a large part we have operating equipment that still has the old journal boxes and friction bearings in them which are inspected regularly to make sure there is enough oil inside. If you haven't yet looked at some of my other videos feel free to check them out as some were taken at the museum.
+Weldy Media Productions - I've been browsing; I particularly enjoyed "The OERM on 11/04/2012." Most PC cabooses, during my seasonal tenures, were "bay window" models, without a cupola. Though I got to ride in a couple cupolas, as the perennial new guy, I was generally relegated to head-end duties, the guy who got to climb down from the engine and perform any switching work during our road journeys. Back then, because of union influence, state law required a five man crew: conductor, engineer, fireman, and two brakemen (head man in the engine and flagman in the caboose). Contrary to the straw title, the head man was actually the low man on the train crew totem pole.
Thank you and that is interesting I enjoy learning more history about trains and railroading. The museum has one former Southern Pacific bay window caboose preserved in the collection. The museum www.oerm.org, facebook.com/orangeempirerailwaymuseum/?fref=ts. The museum's website is undergoing updates and improvements so some sections of the site may not be accessible for a while but the facebook page is fairly active. In case you are interested the museum is open 9-5 every day all year except for two days, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Train and trolley rides at the museum generally start at 11:00 and end 4:00/1600.
+Weldy Media Productions - Much as I enjoy old railroad stuff-I was lucky enough to live in a house overlooking the Durango and Silverton tracks one year-my traveling days are over. Here, in Tucson, I'm lucky if I can even hear a train horn on a quiet Sunday morning. Poor, sad, deprived me. Still, I get wide-screen cab rides on trains all over the world, a much better view than a sideways passenger POV, and you even managed to get me up into a cupola, for the first time in close to fifty years. So, in your volunteer work, record those vids that show viewpoints not generally available to most folks, but mostly just enjoy the heck out of it.
***** Due to being busy I haven't for a few years been able to find time to take video of trains but I am glad you liked some of the videos I have taken. One short video I have also is an in-cab video from on board a former Santa Fe FP45 that is at the museum. I may try to get video of it this year if I can as it is expected to possibly return to operational status sometime this year after a 4 year restoration.