While I am generally fuzzy about the dates of photos, I certify that these evening photos were taken in late May of 1981. The Montreal-Toronto passenger schedules from this timetable are reproduced at the end of this piece.
It seems likely that the first set represents the connecting of VIA train 55 (from Montreal) and train 45 (from Ottawa).
The carman is walking the train.
Another carman is controlling the movement as a car attendant stands by.
The carmen makes the connections.
The passenger brakeman (qualified as a conductor - but probably not this train's acting conductor)
uses the communicating line to signal the headend for the necessary brake test.
At the last car, the carman will watch for
piston travel at the brake cylinder and brake shoes against the wheels.
* * *
The "Communicating Signal Appliance"
Many of these practices were seen at the Kingston VIA station ...
Radios were later approved as the primary system for train crew to engine crew communication. However, at this point, the reliable, proven communicating line ("communicating signal appliance" in the rulebook) was the mandated method used for brake tests, spotting passenger trains, giving the highball etc. The valve in the car vestibule would hiss loudly as it was used to sound the small whistle in the locomotive cab.
Radios were later approved as the primary system for train crew to engine crew communication. However, at this point, the reliable, proven communicating line ("communicating signal appliance" in the rulebook) was the mandated method used for brake tests, spotting passenger trains, giving the highball etc. The valve in the car vestibule would hiss loudly as it was used to sound the small whistle in the locomotive cab.
Stopping
When stopping a train, the train crewman sounded two whistles as required by the rules. The first whistle would be sounded ("get ready to stop") and the second would often be sounded several seconds later when the vestibule had almost reached the desired spot. On a very long (heavy) slow moving train the interval between signals might be ten seconds or more. During Air Canada strikes circa the late 1970s, Toronto-Montreal trains sometimes reached 19-20 cars.
To avoid a 'brickwall stop' (shoe/wheel/rail adhesion is highest at the slowest speeds) ... Generally, the passenger engineer would use a relatively heavy application to slow the train, release, and then use a lighter application to spot the train as required. In the failing evening light, part of the steel brake shoes (and a thin part of the wheel treads) would sometimes glow red and give off sparks if the approach to the station was aggressive.
Starting
On a long train, a number of vestibules would be opened - each attended by a member of the operating crew. An exception might be a club car with its own attendant - just a few passengers would quickly exit/board there while the masses milled around the other vestibules. As the platform emptied of boarding passengers, the train crew members would remain on the platform and they'd often stay down there until the time indicated in the employee timetable ... as the passengers settled themselves and their belongings.
When loading was complete at each vestibule, the brakemen and conductor would each raise one hand vertically at arm's length. This would be the high sign for the highball among the train crew and they would board. The "proceed" signal ('highball' does not appear in rulebooks) came from the conductor using the communicating signal.
Some conductors would observe from the upper vestibule door to (presumably) witness that no late passenger was injured in some desperate attempt to board the moving train through a closed vestibule. Habitually watching the bare platform would also help ensure that no train crew members were left behind - an rare error which would rest on the conductor's shoulders.
The cab whistle cut through the engine noise and could be heard quite a distance from the train when the cab windows were open. A photographer could use the whistle as a warning to get ready for a 'train-starting photo' - especially if smoking Alco/MLW units were in the locomotive consist.
Occasionally, in the few years which followed this photo, one might hear a train crew member give a verbal 'OK to go Number xx' via his radio. Nothing would happen. The engineer would explain he was waiting for the proper signal. The crew member would dutifully use the signal line and the train would depart.
I covered (rulebook and diagrams) the need, development and mechanics of the communicating appliances in this older post. And I see that I gave that brakeman an increase in pay to acting conductor when I used that same photo ... hopefully one of my two statements is correct.
Time to go!
Below the couplers, you can see (top to bottom):
the (air brake) train line,
the communicating signal line (smaller hose),
the steam line.
the communicating signal line (smaller hose),
the steam line.
A westbound Rapido rolls through Brockville without stopping.
I counted 9 cars.
A freight waits for some of the evening traffic to clear.
* * *
The timetable for this date appears below.
Applicable reference marks are reproduced below.
The system timetable has 4 pages of them.
The high-numbered reference marks are not included
They pertain to 'no local traffic', 'no checked baggage' and GO Transit.
