Dispatcher:
"Okay. Does the rear end know about it?"
Caller:
"Yes. I read the message and handed it to the caboose when
it passed."
Dispatcher:
"Good. He's about 40 minutes ahead of No. 87 and should be
able to make Wildwood siding to clear 87's time. I'll line
up the operator at OG and see if he can have his yard
engine reach out and take the hotbox when they pull up to
clear the crossover. Okay?"
Caller:
"Okay."
(2) Towerman--reporting on a train's poor progress.
Caller:
"Dispatcher?"
Dispatcher:
"Yes?"
Caller:
"RK tower. Extra 210 West has started by me, but he's not
doing too well."
Dispatcher:
"You haven't given him a yellow block* since he left
Madison have you?"
Caller:
"No, he's had a clear block all the way.
It's getting a
lot colder here."
Dispatcher:
"What's the temperature?"
Caller:
"It's 18 above. It's dropped 5 degrees in the last couple
of hours."
Dispatcher:
"Well, it looks like I'll have to cut the tonnage again.
How's he doing now--picking up any?"
Caller:
"About the same. His rear end is in sight now, so he'll be
able to make it past the tower."
Dispatcher (ringing Conroy yard): "All right, the pusher engine is at OG.
I'll bring him down the eastbound, and you put him up
behind the 210. Tell the pusher to shove him all the way
to OG."
Caller:
"Okay."
Voice:
"Are you ringing Conroy yard, dispatcher?"
Dispatcher:
"Yes.
That Extra 210 out of there--he wasn't overloaded,
was he?"
Voice:
"No, he had 7,527 tons. We double checked it. Why?"
Dispatcher:
"Well, he's stalling even before he gets to Windham hill.
It's much colder up there so we had better figure on
cutting the tonnage to 7,000 on later trains. I'll put out
a message."
Voice:
"Okay."
______________
*A block signal meaning "proceed, prepared to stop at next signal."
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