A report of such cars is then furnished the yardmaster, and the blue
flags are removed by the inspectors.
b. Track check. While the inspectors are going over the train, a
yard clerk, usually called the outside clerk, is also busy. With a
supply of blank forms, he moves along the train recording the
initials and number of each car; whether it is loaded or empty; and
its type such as box, tank, hopper, or flat. If any of the cars have
seals, he also records the seal numbers, applies new seals where
necessary, and makes a record of the seals used. This is called a
track check. A sample form, as filled out by the yard clerk, is
shown in figure 2.2. In this sample, no seal numbers are shown
because those cars that ordinarily require seals, such as boxcars and
refrigerator cars, are shown on the report as empty, and no seals are
required. If they were required, an additional column could be drawn
on the form in which the seal numbers could be recorded. The yard
clerk may start his check at either end of the train, but he shows at
the top of the form the end at which the check was started. As shown
in the upper lefthand corner of the trackcheck form in figure 2.2,
the yard clerk began his check at the west end, and the train is on
track 5 in the yard as ordered by the yardmaster. The complete track
check must be verified with the waybills, the authority for moving
cars, to determine that there is a car for every waybill and a bill
for every car. The bills should be lined up in the exact order that
the cars stand in the train. In military railroading, freight
waybills are used by transportation railway service personnel only
when they are actually operating in oversea areas. Television
cameras and video tape recorders are often used in the larger and
busier commercial railroad terminals to perform both track and train
checks.
2.8. SWITCH LIST
When a yard clerk has made all his entries on the track check
form, it is turned in to the yardmaster, or his representative, who
converts it to a switch list or makes up a switch list from it. This
is done by adding the destination of each car, the number of the
track in the classification yard to which it is to be switched, and
the number and order of the cuts to be made in breaking up the train.
Commercial railroads often utilize automated systems in developing
switch lists. A track check of the train on track 5 that has been
converted to a switch list is shown in figure 2.3. Since the
switching engine could not handle the entire train in one operation,
and because the length of an ordinary train would make such a move
unwieldy and impractical, the train is simply divided into sections;
each section, called a cut or draft, is handled separately.
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