A station foreman has charge of the station, and supervises the dispatching of cars on their runs. He keeps the list of extra men and provides crews for extra and special cars. These foremen should be familiar with the operation of street cars. In nearly every case they are promoted from the ranks. They must be tactful in handling men. This position is one to which an individual, who accepts a minor job in the transportation department, may look forward.
Motormen and Conductors—Transportation Department
Motormen and conductors have duties with which all are familiar. These occupations have their advantages and also their disadvantages. Some men follow them for almost a lifetime while others soon become dissatisfied and seek other fields. The positions are permanent and frequently carry with them attractive features, such as free medical attention, insurance, and club-room privileges. Pay is ordinarily based on a sliding scale. So the wage which a man receives for his day’s work depends upon the number of years that he has been in the service of the company. Motormen may now receive from $3 to $5 per day, and conductors about the same. Returned soldiers with no previous experience, who are in good shape physically but who must have out-of-door work, may find this work desirable. They will be trained by the company which employs them.
Maintenance-of-Way Departments
The maintenance of way, or “track department,” constructs new tracks, bridges, and other structures, and maintains track structures and right of way after construction. Frequently it is under the jurisdiction of a chief engineer who works through a superintendent and a division foreman. A foreman of the machine and tool division directs the shop repairs of the various tools, track grinders, steam shovels, and hoisting engines. He has to qualify as a first-class steam engineer. The paving foreman is responsible for the tearing up and replacing of pavement which the company is required to maintain at each side of and between rails. The supervisor of construction has charge of building new track and of making the repairs to existing lines. Most of the manual work in this department is done by unskilled labor directed by foremen. A disabled man who has had previous experience in construction work might, with some additional training, be able to qualify for a foremanship. Such a position requires executive ability and sufficient education to read blue prints and make out reports. It will pay from $80 to $150 per month. Practically all of the work is out of doors.
PLAN No. 1217. LINE DEPARTMENT
A wire or line department installs and maintains the trolley wires and feeders both underground and overhead. A man with no previous electrical experience may start in as a ground man or helper, and advance himself to the position of lineman and foreman. Electric railway line work is somewhat similar to that necessary for electric lighting companies. One requirement is a good physique, but minor disablements might not handicap. Practically all of the work is done out of doors. The ground men will receive from $2 to $4 and a lineman from $3 to $5 per day; a foreman from $100 to $175 per month.
PLAN No. 1218. TELEPHONE COMPANIES
Telephone systems have grown phenomenally. A few years ago the telephone was a luxury. To-day it is a necessity. It has been predicted that the time will come when there will be at least one telephone in every house, just as practically every city building is now piped for water, so that it appears probable that there will be in the future a steadily increasing demand for trained telephone men.
The type of equipment used in a telephone system is determined to some extent by the size of the town or city in which the system operates. Systems serving small towns are relatively simple. The small community telephone system usually has for its lines individual wires strung on poles. There is a pair of wires for each subscriber. To call central, a hand crank on the sides of the telephone is turned which causes a shutter or drop on the switchboard to fall and expose the line number. Each line has its own drop. Thus the operator’s attention is attracted. She answers the call and by means of cords with plugs on their ends she connects the calling with the called subscriber. Such a system is called “magneto” system, because a magneto generator turned by hand crank is used for calling. Dry cells located at each subscriber’s station supply the electrical energy for talking. While a magneto system like that just described is the most desirable and economical for a small town, its application in a city would be both impractical and prohibitively expensive to operate.