(2) A train lineup form, showing information such as the number
of cars of the various groupings and the order in which they stand,
as discussed in chapter 2, paragraph 2.6, is telegraphed to the
dispatcher. This form also includes the engine number, the name of
conductor and engineer, their time of duty, and the tonnage of the
train.
(3) A home route card is often prepared and attached inside the
waybill when a car moves from one railroad to another. This movement
is called interchange. The card is the authority for the unloading
railroad to return the car empty to the railroad from which it was
received under load.
(4) The track check of an outbound train, made by the outside
clerk, is checked against the waybills by the outbound clerk to be
sure that the train is in station order. From this track check,
outbound car records, similar to those described for inbound trains,
are completed.
3.4. BILL RACK
Although automated systems have greatly streamlined and
simplified the paper work requirements, the bill rack remains an
important piece of equipment in a yard office. It may range from a
crudely made affair, with the waybill recesses marked in chalk, to an
ornate plateglassfront arrangement with neatly painted figures to
represent each track number. An ideal bill rack, with storage space
for office supplies underneath, is shown in figure 3.1. The bill
rack tells an observer a complete story that is only briefly outlined
in the yardmaster's journal. A routine entry on track 13 in the
journal showing 12 AY cars may become more important when the
waybills are taken out of the rack and examined. The bills might
show a car of perishable freight, a car that had previously been
delayed 48 hours undergoing repair, and three or four cars of
ammunition for a port of embarkation. Such freight should move on
the next train out of the yard. The following subparagraphs further
discuss the bill rack.
a. The rack always contains a separate section for every track
over which the yardmaster has jurisdiction. Bills are placed in them
in the exact order that the cars stand on the racks. When a crew
switches loaded cars in the yard, the yardmaster switches the
waybills to the appropriate slots in the bill rack, and in the exact
order that the cars enter the track. In a westbound yard, when cars
are switched to the west end of a track, the bills are usually placed
in front of those already in the particular track slot. When cars
are switched to the east end, bills are placed behind those already
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