5.29.
SUMMARY
The various train order forms are the dispatcher's tools. They give him
the flexibility and latitude necessary to handle efficiently a busy single-
track division with its ever-changing operations.
They permit the
dispatcher to cope with unexpected events and with emergencies. Both must
always be expected in railroading.
As dispatcher tools, the train orders
represent the dispatcher's right to supersede the timetable.
This right
probably best illustrates the old railroad saying: "The timetable giveth,
but the dispatcher taketh away."
The examples of orders shown are standard on commercial railroads and
are approved for military use.
However, train orders used in any theater
are necessarily governed by local operations, and rail operations may change
radically from theater to theater or even from division to division. What
will remain constant will be the objective of the train orders: to enable
the dispatcher to operate as many trains in each direction as safely and
expeditiously as possible to help accomplish the overall military objective.
89
Previous Page
