Rule 507.—An order to be sent to two or more offices must be transmitted simultaneously to as many as practicable. The several addresses must be in the order of superiority of rights of trains, and each office will take only its proper address. When not sent simultaneously to all, the order must be sent first for the train having the superior right of track.
[Note.—On roads which desire the operator at a meeting-point to have copies of the order, the several addresses will be, first, the operator at whose station the trains are to meet and next in the order of superiority of the rights of trains.]
This rule brings us to the transmission of the order and requires that it be simultaneous as far as possible. This is a safeguard possible only with the duplicate system. Here also the priority of transmission to the superior train is insisted upon. In addition to other advantages, the systematic naming of the superior train first calls the attention of operators to the relative superiority of trains. The principle involved here is elsewhere recognized. The note attached by the Time Convention Committee has reference to the arrangement which some prefer of sending a copy of the order to the operator at the meeting-point in addition to the copies sent to other points for delivery to the trains.
Rule 508.—Operators receiving orders must write them out in manifold during transmission, and make the requisite number of copies at one writing or trace others from one of the copies first made.
This rule directs the use of the manifold writing and practically dispenses with any record book other than that in which the manifold copies are preserved.
This is one of the most important improvements over the old methods. In the early days of telegraphing and with some to a comparatively recent period, each copy of an order was written separately, occupying much time and involving great liability to error in transcribing. Now the perfection of the manifold admits of making at one writing all the copies usually required. If additional copies are wanted, their exactness is assured by tracing from one of those made at the first writing. It must be observed here that the rule does not permit an operator to take the message down on a separate sheet and make his manifold copies afterward.
Rule 509.—When an order has been transmitted, preceded by the signal "31," operators receiving it must (unless otherwise directed) repeat it back at once from the manifold copy, and in the succession in which their several offices have been addressed. Each operator repeating must observe whether the others repeat correctly. After the order has been repeated correctly by the operators required at the time to repeat it, the response "O K," authorized by the Train Dispatcher, will be sent simultaneously to as many as practicable, naming each office. Each operator must write this on the order with the time, and then reply "i i O K," with his office signal.
Those to whom the order is addressed, except enginemen, must then sign their names to the copy of the order to be retained by the operator, and he will send their signatures to the Superintendent. The response "complete," with the Superintendent's initials, will then be given, when authorized by the Train Dispatcher. Each operator receiving this response will then write on each copy the word "complete," the time, and his last name in full; and will then deliver a copy to each person included in the address, except enginemen, and each must read his copy aloud to the operator. The copy for each engineman must be delivered to him personally by ----, and the engineman must read it aloud and understand it before acting upon it.
[Note.—The blank in the above rule may be filled for each road to suit its own requirements. On roads where the signature of the engineman is desired, the words "except enginemen" and the last sentence in the second paragraph may be omitted. See also note under Rule No. 500.]
[Individual operator's signals may be used when desired in addition to office signals, as here and elsewhere provided for.]