University of South Carolina Libraries
n 14 V / THE CLINTON CHRONICLE DISPATCHER IN ATLANTA CONTROLS LOCAL TRAINS Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) Installed On Clh|ton*Greenwobd Stretch Of Seaboard Clinton, S. C„ Thursday, October 24, IMS By WILLIAM S. CANNON Ahead the shining rails stretched out in the headlight’s glare, and tye streamlined onrs trailed behi&d the big cream colored diefel. As a shepherd leading obedient sheep, the at)15 marshalled tb© cars along at a fast ciip^ making time and staying up with the “card”, roaring oily hot defiance at the hills and gliding almost noise lessly downgrade. Away off stalled elsewhere on the Sea board’s 4,000-mile system, but it is of most interest to those in this area. For with it, the dispatcher switch itself is what the rail- calls a “Number 16 turn- which allows a speed of 26 miles per hour in and out of it, but the engineer must know he is going into the passing track in order to prepare for the turnout itself. All this while, both, trains are proceeding headlong toward each other. The engineer on 33 knows that 28 is somewhere ahead coming toward him but he in Atlanta can and does control , ^ all train movements in the 30-r als ^ mile stretch of track. There both if they both no train orders involved in meet ing and passing trains; there are no waits at lonely, deserted sid ings for hours for another train to meet ... the dispatcher knows every instant just exactly where down the track,* pin point of trains are, and centrols their emerald green in-th* night, and Movements accordingly. 1 the diesel’s mentor spoke out “clera signal”, to have * re peated by his assistant in the cab. A little more railroad was all theirs to cover. Back in the Pullman cars of the “Comet”, Mr. John Q. Public was snoozing soundly as wheels sang over the rails. He r had enjoyed a delightful dinner in the diner, spent a few pleasant hours with friends in the tavern car, and had retir ed. Trains are nice . . . they get him where he wants to go with a minimum of bother, and they always seem to go just the right places at the right time. As most people, Mr. John Public just took railroads and trains for granted, and of the complexities of eration ever crossed his For instance, as friend slept, he had no idea of technical involvement of engine crew, of the years training and working out on the road. He knew nothing of rates nor of car management. . . . and further, he cared less . . . just so the train got to Atlanta on time. Up ahead, on the engine, the crew watched for any sign that something might be amiss, for there were lives and property behind them in the cars. Every instinct was trained to be care ful. A signal showed up, and the engineer numbled to the fireman:” . . . guess 26 is too long to clear us in the passing track ’cause we’re heading into the passing track for him.” And so, John Q. slept on, oblivious to all that was going on . . . The Seaboard Railroad has re cently completed the installation of Cenrtalized Control (CTC) equipment covering that portion of their track between Clinton and Greenwood. This is a minor installation compared with the many miles of this equipment in- accordingly. This is Accomplished through a complex* set.^f signals end electric switches. Juft as a Child plays with his electric train, throwing automatic switches and changing signals from some remote location; so are the switches and signals changed on the CTC installation to increase the safety sM efficiency of the railroad, and to better serve the feutyic and to more safely cover the mileage assigned. For exam ple,'our train above whs the “Comet,” Number $3, south bound, and the engineer .made mention of “28” . . . founber 28 is the northbound manifest freight that runs nightly. If Number 28 were to be very late, it would have to meet Number 33 acme where in the CTC track age. As the two trains enter the CTC trackage, the dispatcher notes their location on his mas ter control board for each causes little indicator burn on where they dispatcher then “figures his 'vains,” i.e., calculates from where they are, the mileage be tween them, their respective speeds and running times, and “sets up” a meeting place for th^m. Dependent on the length of Number 28, he decides whether 28 or 33 will “go into the hole” (passing track) since 33 normally would hold the main line, being the first class train of the two. (Trains are classified according to whether they are passenger, freight, or extra, into certain classifications denoting their im portance). Then, Mr. Dispatch er sets his signals to indicate to the engineers on both 33 and 28 that they are to meet at a siding, say Fuller, just south of Clinton. The distant signals, that is those not right at the passing track switches, will convey an indica tion to the train that is “heading in” that he must slow down and prepare to leave the main line. to each other on the ce of track, the signals Irections would indicate got do! same p: in both direct! a positive stop. So long as the crews obiy the signal indica tions, there is no way for the two traiqg to get near each other except in pilssing or meeting at a passing track. The engineer on 28 beads his train into the Fuller passing track; the engineer on S3 gets a clear indication f|reen) when the caboose on 28 clears the main line and the switch is realigned fer the main track, and the two trains meet each other, some times without ever stopping. This is a great advancement over the old train order type of operation where each train had to be given paper orders telling them where to meet or pass. Sometimes one train would have draw-bar (coupling) trouble after it had passed the last open train order e(flcer2kx! the meet which was set tfm although it looked good when setnp^and would have been good had tbefojbeen no trouble, caused a heavy delay to the op posing train. It could not pass the meeting point until the trou bled train showed up. As it is with the electric train control, 1 i c a t o r lights to > eiectr i c tram control, this board, showing fP* traln f 0111 on signals set up are at all times. Mr. ^ dis P*tcher in Atlanta by C “*iich they are told what to do. After our two trains have pass- , and Number 28 has gone on, let us get back on the Pull car with our friend John Q. lie. He sleeps blissfully on, knowing anything of all the ac tivity that has gone on. Among other things that could cause trouble to his sleeping car are what the railroad calls’ “hot box es," that is, a hot beqring under the car where the axle runs in the journal box on the bucks. This could cause a wreck if not detect ed in time, and in order to better catch these trouble-makers, the Seaboard has installed a system of 60 hot box detectors, ma chines which scan the train as it passes and notes any excess heat from journal boxes. As a train passes, the machine is activated and scanning units which detect heat begin “watch ing” each journal on both sides of the train as they go by. A re cording unit inside the detector unit writes on a tape and marks down the location of any hot box found. TT^e machines are “edu cated’ and can “talk,” for when they find a hot box, a radio unit switches itself on the air, and us ing information gleaned from the recording tape, starts to brqad- cast to the J*ain crew the loca tion <jf\he offensive journal. For example, our 28 passes the unit at Dover Junction, just east of Clinton, and as it passes, a white light comes on and the radio in the unit advises the train crew “Seaboard Railroad, Dover, South Carolina.” This indicates that the unit is operating, and it continues to broadcast this infor mation at intervals of approxi mately 24 seconds until the train has passed at which time it signs off, saying “No hot box.” How ever, if there should happen to be a hot box, indeed qpy number of hot boxes up to four in each train, the unit will count axles from the offensive journal to the rear of the train, and after the train has passed, the radio unit coupled with the counter broad casts the number of the axle that is hot and^pn which side of the train it will be found. As an added safety teature and to guard against radio failure, a red light will burn on the outside of the detector house to advise the crew that there exists at least one hot box. There is also, inside the detector unit, a tape of pa per on which a stylus records the passing of each tran, and the status of all the journals in each of them. The railroaders them- selves think it is “quite a ma chine,” and that it sure is a “life-saver and time-saver” for before they had these machines, crews depended on seeing smoke from hot journals, or smelling the acrid odor caused by hot grease, to detect a hot box before' disaster resulted from an over heated axle ... “a broken Jour- . caused by white hot beat of metal to ipetal without lubrication. — And so, John Q. Public sleeps on, completely unaware of the many njpdern technilogical ad vances made by American Rail roads to protect him as he trav els, or his freight as it speeds to him each day. He pulls up the covers a little closer, and snug gles down for a good night’s rest, and up ahead in the engine cab, the call of “High green,” “Clear Board,” “Green,” sounds out across from engineer and fire man. Railroads have come a long way since the “Best Friend of Charleston’ chugged along the Charleston and Hamburg Rail way in 1831, and they are staying up with the times just as the Sea board has done locally with the Centralized Traffic Control (C- TC) and the Hot Box Detectors. Safety First remains the ‘rule of the road." Public Records , Sidney Wayne Whitlock, and Hetty Jean Ballew of Clinton.'.i Lewis J. Rice and Emma Lew Burnside of Laurens. Russell Bernard Emerson and Barbara Evelyn Roberts of Clin ton. f V ‘ Carrtll Lorance Cagle and Ro sa.Evelyn thanks of Clinton. _ PROPERtS TRANSFERS J. B. Bran||n to Pierce Trac tor Co., I no. — Lot on Lake Greenwood — Exchange of pro perty. Mrs. Nettie Dillard Ellis to W. Alfred Johnson — Lot in Clin ton — $10.00 and other consider ations. Joe H. Bonds to Johnny B, Whelchel — tilt in Clinton — $10.00 and other considerations. Eugene Hawkins to Barbara Hawkins and Patsy Hawkins — lot in Laurens County — $5.00 love and affection. Charles G. Copeland to Tom Ike Williams — lot in Clinton — 00 and other considerations, zelle F. Atkins to R. L. Franklin — 2.5 acres northeast of Joanna — $140.00. James T. Hamilton and Esther D. Hamilton to Joseph V. An derson and Mary F. Anderson — lot in Clinton — $252.00 and oth er consideration. Jessie J. Hawkins to Ethel W. Sulton — lot near Joanna—$10.00 and other considerations. mgftN&gcams The CHRONICLE STATIONERY SHOP 109-111 Gary Street Dial 833-0541 v - V iUfi COACH CLAUDE HOWE CLINTON HIGH SCHOOL THE COACH REPORTS Interviewed By Bill Hogan — Over WLBC-AM-FM FIWAYS - &15 A. M. Sponsored By Bank of Clinton Clinton Progressive Merchants : - < .4 _ LOYALTY GIANT $6,000 GIVE AWAY-OctlO-Pec.21 $200 IN CASH TO BE GIVEN AWAY FREE! 4 LUCKY WINNERS WILL RECEIVE $50.00 EACH THIS WEEK - DRAWING ON M. S. BAI- _ LEY’S BANK PARKING LOT AT 6:45 P. M. EVERY SATURDAY. WINNING TICKETS MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN. 11th Week New 1964 Ford Falcon 4-Door Sedan TICKETS AVAILABLE at EACH PARTICIPATING MERCHANT LISTED BELOW Prizes This Week: FIVE $50.00 BILLS AND ONE DELUXE BICYCLE Adair's Men's Shop Appliance Sales Co. M. S. Bailey & Son. Bankers Baldwin Appliance Co. Baldwin Motor Co. Bank of Clinton Belk's Dept Store Dillard Boland. Inc. Bnrriss-Harrison Co. C-W-S Guano Co. Carolina Service Station Cato's Store Center Service Station Chronicle Pub. Co. Citizens Federal Savings and Loan Association Clinton Cafe Clinton Cleaners — Bag well's Self-Seiyice. Clinton Milk Store Clinton Milling Co. Clinton Service Station Community Cash Clinton Bowling Center Geo. A. Copeland & Son Copeland Hdwe. Supply Co. Lynn Cooper. Inc. Cox Home & Auo Supply Dobbins Insurance Agency Efird's Dept Store Gordon's Shoes. Inc. Hamilton's Jewelry. Inc. .V This Week We Salutp.. .. f HALLMARK gHftT CO, INC. *. This 100-year-old find, a subsidiary of Anvil Brand, Inc„ of High Point, N. C, has operated a plant in Clinton for the pant 22 yean. With hone offices in High Point and sake offices ia the Empire State Building in New York, Hallmark has a nationwide dis tribution of fine quality Hallmark dress shirts for With modern equipment end good working condi tions, Hallmark presently employs 200 persons in the ▼arions operations of manufacturing, with an an nual payroll in exceee of $45^000. Take Advantage of the Many Out standing Values Being Offered By These Participating Firms During “Loyalty Days.” Howard's Pharmacy Johnson Bros. Johnson's Men's Shop T. E. Jones and Sons Ledford's Texaco Lydia Milk Store W. W. Mac Co. Maxwell Broe. Furniture Co. McGees* Drug Store Nabors Service Staton H. D. Payne & Co. Piggiy Wiggly Pitts Men's Shop Pitts Service Station Pitts Vegetable Market Pkadco Chevrolet Inc. Radio Station WPCC Radio Station WLBG Rose's 5-10-25c Store Sears. Roebuck Co. State Farm Insurance Sunshine Cleaners J. C. Thomas. Jeweler Wilson's Curb Market Western Auto Asso. Store Winn-Dixie Stores James E. Wolfe Ins. Agency Yarborough Oil Co.—Yar borough Studio Young Bros. Gulf Station Young's Pharmacy "V- BAD CO