If the yard doesn’t have switches that work by electricity, switchmen work them by hand. A switchman is sometimes called a cherry picker, because of the red lights on the switches. Another nickname for him is snake. That’s because he used to wear a union button with a big snaky S on it. Many railroaders belong to unions called Brotherhoods. Part of the safety of their work was brought about by the unions which helped to get laws passed and rules established to make railroading as free from danger as possible.
In the old days, one great danger came from the big, heavy gadget called a link-and-pin that joined the cars together. The switchman or the brakeman had to reach in and fasten it when a train was being made up. If the cars began to move while he was at work, he might get his fingers cut off.
All cars now have automatic couplings which clasp together and hold tight when one car bumps another. To uncouple, the switchman works a handle that keeps his fingers safely out of the way.
A railroad yard is a noisy place. Usually the engineer can’t possibly talk with a switchman down the track, no matter how loud he shouts. So railroaders have worked out a whole sign language in which they can talk to each other from a distance. The pictures tell what some of these special signals mean.
After a new freight train has been made up at the classification yard, a car inspector puts a blue flag on the engine and another on the caboose. Then he checks up carefully on the whole train to make sure everything is in good working order. An old nickname for inspector is car toad, because he often squats down to look for broken parts. While he is at work, the blue flags are a warning that the train must not be disturbed. If the inspector finds a car that needs repairs, he reports that it is a “bad order car.”
THE BACKSHOP
Locomotives get their regular inspection in the roundhouse. Small repair jobs are done there. But if there’s something seriously wrong, off the engine goes to the backshop for a complete overhauling.
