Danville & Western RR Telegraph Calls ?

[NW Mailing List]

After the railroads installed Main Frame Computers, one of the first jobs given to the machine was to get a handle on the railroad's car accounting and car management headaches.  One of the reports generated daily for Division management by that thing was a report of "Cars Moving Out of Route or Out of Block." And very quickly it became apparent where the good Yard Masters were, and which ones needed a little "remediation" ! (Truth-be-told, everyone was sloppy back in the old days, and it was only after the OOR/OOB situation was translated into dollars and cents, that things got better.)

So, this question, concerning the Danville & Western RR may seem a bit Out-of-Route or Out-of-Block for the N&W List. But since the NS now operates the remaining portion of the D&W, where better can the question be sent...?

Does anyone know where, or if, there still exists a list of Telegraph Calls for the Danville & Western, or an Employee Time Table ?

And just to prove that this ain't all ancient history... When I worked on the Punkin Vine 55 years ago, there was a Conductor working there, Robert C. McNeill, who had once been a Fireman on the "Dick & Willie." Bob told me he saw the handwriting-on-the-wall for the business longevity of the D&W, and  in 1926 took a job braking on the N&W Punkin Vine.

Also, since Koehler/Fieldale has recently been in the headlines of this List, I will say that, until it closed, the N&W Fieldale depot had hanging on the wall a group of Danville & Western car seals, strung together on a wire looped over a nail. They were only Copper car seals I ever saw. The Agent there, whose name was Mr. Anthony, I think, gave me one. I sent it "home" to someone in Virginia a few years ago.

Now, how about those D&W Telegraph Calls ... ?

-- abram burnett
Now Selling: Turnip Tonic Bitters

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