Walton-Pelton Freight Running Track

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

Senator Bundy:

The next time you see Mr. Kinder, would you please ask him some questions 
about working at "BH" Tower at Walton and the Walton-Pelton Freight Running 
Track?  (He may well be the last man alive who worked that tower.)

The Timetable Special Instructions indicate that this track was operated 
under Manual Block Rules.

Specifically, please ask him:

1.  Was it permissible to operate a second train into the block when there 
was a train ahead between Walton and Pelton?

2.  How was the condition of the manual block ("Clear" or "Permissive") 
conveyed to eastward trains?  By green or yellow hand signals, by a Manual Block 
Clearance Card giving condition of the block in writing, or by the bottom 
("calling on") arm of the semaphore home signal?  

3.  After the semaphores were supplanted by the Position Light signals, how 
was block indication conveyed... e.g. was a Restricting home signal all that a 
train got, or was there some more formal method of conveying condition of the 
block (e.g. written Clearance Card or green/yellow hand signal)?

4.  How did an eastward train "get out" of the Walton-Pelton Freight Running 
Track at Pelton?  Obviously the east end was not interlocked from "BX" 
Christiansburg (too far away for a "rod plant" to control.)  Was there a spring 
switch?  And if so, what gave an eastward train authority to hammer through the 
spring switch and onto the eastbound main line?

Also, please ask him for some memories of working at Cowan tower, 
specifically about the interlocking machine in Cowan and control of the remote 
interlocking at "Bluff."

If you're in a good mood, you could also ask him about the type of levers 
used at "BX" Christiansburg and at Arthur.  (Armstrong and pipe connected, no 
doubt, but worthy of the asking anyway.)

You're a good man, Harry...  Keep up the good work !   I'll be votin' for you 
in the next election, and a little brown bag full of unmarked bills in small 
denomination is headed towards you !

-- abram burnett,
             ...transplanted scion of the scottish maffia
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