Lamberts Point in 1968 Question

[NW Mailing List]

This reminds me of the "half moon herald" vs. "hamburger herald" controversy. 
What it comes down to is that the first fans to use the term "Baby trainmaster" 
as reference to an H-16-66 believed that nobody could use that term to refer to 
any other FM model. While I respect their reasoning, I have come to the 
conclusion that they did not copyright that term, and therefore cannot keep 
other fans from using it in reference to an H-16-44. Same goes for "hamburger 
herald." Tom Dressler said the proper term was "half moon herald." I believe 
that is because Tom invented that name himself. Therefore he resented anyone 
calling it anything else. But again, no copyright, and I don't believe there was 
any official company recognition for either term. So you have fans who use a 
name which other fans insist is incorrect. But who put them in charge of what a 
railfan could call something? As for myself, I try to use the term which is 
recognized by the vocal majority, but I don't get mad at those who use a 
different term. They have just as much right to call it the way they like. No 
offence Skip! Keep insisting that a "Baby Trainmaster" is an H-16-66. But just 
remember that it was a mere railfan who coined the term. FM had nothing to do 
with it. They thought the proper name was "H-16-66".

Jim Nichols


________________________________
From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Sat, April 21, 2012 5:52:13 PM
Subject: Re: Lamberts Point in 1968 Question


Dare I "open up this can of worms" again. Abe referred to the former VGN 
Fairbanks Morse H-16-44 #18 (now #118) as a "Baby Trainmaster". I have heard the 
VGN mechanical people I know say they never called them this. FM built an 
H-16-66 (not 2400 HP but 1600 6-axle switcher) that was sometimes called a "Baby 
Trainmaster" but the VGN RWY never bought any of these....... 

Skip Salmon
---- NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:

=============

Pennsylvania is graced to have a plenitude of Amish in its population.  They are 
hard-working and a credit to society. 

  
Many of the Amish men, young and old alike, are also fascinated by trains.  Some 
years ago I was rounding a curve with a local at Allensville, Pa, and caught 
sight of something alarming up ahead... someone off to the right front of the 
engine was aiming something at me.  As I drew closer, the "something" was 
discernible as a rotund older Amishman sitting in a two-horse buckboard, 
pointing his cell phone camera at my engine!  And while the Amish are prohibited 
from being "connected to the English [that's us] by wires," they can and do make 
extensive use of cell phones.  It's quite a treat to visit an Amish farmers' 
market and see all the young Amish gals playing with their cell phones and 
texting.  And those Amish fellows who do like trains surf the Internet to learn 
about trains in the world of "the English" [that's us, again...] 

  
Once I was working a local and took note of a young Amish fellow on an Amish 
building crew (if you can get an Amish crew to build your building, then you 
have quality workmanship) who was fascinated by our engine doing switching.  
After an hour or so, his crew took its lunch break and he came over to the 
engine for some conversation.  I asked him if he would like to ride along the 
next day, and he accepted.  So the next day, Rufus brought a lunch, worked as my 
fireman for a day, straw hat and all, and got an experience that he's probably 
still talking about.  You should have seen the looks from the other train crews 
when we went by with a full-bearded Amishman hanging out the fireman's window ! 

  
Some of those fine Amish fellows still send me e-mail, and one of them recently 
sent me a link to a photograph of N&W Eng 118, an FM Baby Trainmaster, shoving 
cars over a hump at Lamberts Point in 1968.  What interests me is the Position 
Light signal a dozen car lengths ahead of the engine.  It is obviously being 
used as some kind of a hump signal. 


http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=395544&nseq=23 
  
Now, here come the questions: 
  
1.  What Special Instructions covered the use of this signal?  I don't find 
anything in the Time Table about them. 

2.  How many of them were spaced back in the yard out of which the trains were 
shoved? 

3.  What was the name of this hump? 
4.  Aspects and Indications seem rather intuitive... Stop aspect = stop; Clear 
aspect = shove at humping speed; Approach aspect = shove at slow speed.  But 
what was used to indicate "Back Up" ?   (Perhaps a flashing "Stop" ?) 

5.  Any other information on the use of these signals, e.g. when they were 
installed and when they were discontinued? 

6.  And, of course, there is my longstanding question... someone (Mr. Bundy?) 
once told me that cab signals were applied for a time to the Fairbanks Morse 
engines at Norfolk, and the cab signals were somehow used to convey signals to 
the enginemen.  Hopefully, someone has information on this matter. 

  
-- abram burnett

--
SKIP SALMON
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