Or, if desired, he could add: "Not Protecting Against Second- and Third-
Class Trains."
This permits it to work on the time of these scheduled
trains without flag protection.
Train orders for work trains, discussed
more fully in paragraph 5.18, are thought to be the most difficult of all to
use intelligently, to get the maximum work done with the least delay.
c. Protecting against work trains.
Trains of superior class do not
protect against work trains. On double track, all operating crews know the
location of the work train's area both from copies of this extra's orders
and often from notices posted in crew offices along the line. In general,
the notices specify the work area, the number of days the work will be in
progress, and a reduce-speed limit for the area. On single track, however,
all trains in each direction are given copies of the work extra's train
orders. While instructions generally require all work extras to clear all
trains without delay, no approaching train, regardless of superiority,
tonnage, or importance, would run past a work-train flagman.
d. Military work trains. Frequently in a theater of operations, it may
be necessary for all trains to protect against work trains, signifying that
they are given a higher priority than those hauling troops or supplies. In
civilian practice, a work train and its crew may be in a particular location
solely to do work to improve passenger riding comfort or to make long-range
repairs necessary to protect capital investment. It is much more economical
to insist that such a work train protect against and clear the time of all
trains. Why? Because it is small, is generally close to a siding, and can
clear the main track much more conveniently than a heavy train can stop,
wait until the work train clears, and then resume its run.
The military work train, however, may be found blocking the main
track because of different and more pressing reasons.
In a theater,
passenger comfort and long-range maintenance are inconsequential, and work
trains operate only when absolutely necessary, to keep trackage reasonably
fit for supply and troop trains moving toward the front.
At times, work
trains are justifiably superior to all other trains simply because failure
to do trackwork speedily would result in a blockade in which no trains would
be able to move. Stopping other trains while the work train clears the main
is not serious because military trains are frequently relatively short and
restarting them is not ordinarily a problem.
e. Proper work-train flagging.
In discussing proper work-train
flagging, it would be almost impossible to overemphasize its importance.
When the train is on the main track, the flagman
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