Train orders – Arkansas Division – Little Rock Sub – 1936

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  • January 21, 2019 at 4:19 am #6208
    benjamintickell53
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    Compared to the train orders in the similar thread for 1942, there was a significant difference it dispatching practices by Missouri Pacific in 1936. As can be seen from the 1936 timetable, there were two main tracks from North Little Rock to MM Junction, south of Benton. About 5.5 miles of track, from Hot Springs Junction to QQ Tower, had train movements operated by signal indication (dispatcher or block operator). This necessitated CS (continuous – 24 hour) train order offices at both Hot Springs Junction and QQ Tower. The actual facility at Hot Springs Junction (one-half mile north of the Benton passenger station) is unknown, but QQ Tower was at Haskell, the crossing of the Rock Island’s Hot Springs line.

    Train 95 was a 3rd class, local freight from North Little Rock to Gurdon, with timetable schedule departing North Little Rock at 6:45am and arriving in Gurdon at 12:45pm. On most days, that timetable authorization was just to provide the dispatcher with a working framework which would be heavily modified by train orders as necessary to accommodate en route work and other traffic. Per timetable, No. 95 would be overtaken by passenger No. 17 while working at Benton, and would meet No. 74 (a redball freight) at Gifford and its counterpart local No. 96 at Donaldson.

    Orders from QQ Tower are somewhat rare. After CTC was installed on this section of the railroad in 1942, both Hot Springs Junction and QQ Tower were closed as train order offices, and QQ Tower was converted to an automatic interlocking soon thereafter.

    Bill Pollard

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    [attachment=7:izeretbm]ETT-1936-w.jpg[/attachment:izeretbm]
    [attachment=4:izeretbm]HH-tower_clearance.jpg[/attachment:izeretbm][attachment=6:izeretbm]HH-tower_22.jpg[/attachment:izeretbm][attachment=5:izeretbm]HH-tower_25.jpg[/attachment:izeretbm]
    [attachment=1:izeretbm]QQ-tower_clearance.jpg[/attachment:izeretbm][attachment=3:izeretbm]QQ-tower_73.jpg[/attachment:izeretbm][attachment=2:izeretbm]QQ-tower_75.jpg[/attachment:izeretbm][attachment=0:izeretbm]QQ-tower_msg.jpg[/attachment:izeretbm]

    January 21, 2019 at 4:54 am #9249
    benjamintickell53
    Participant

    [attachment=3:3vzssbna]MVN-1936_clearance.jpg[/attachment:3vzssbna][attachment=5:3vzssbna]MVN-1936_78.jpg[/attachment:3vzssbna][attachment=4:3vzssbna]MVN-1936_88.jpg[/attachment:3vzssbna]
    [attachment=0:3vzssbna]ARK_clearance.jpg[/attachment:3vzssbna][attachment=2:3vzssbna]ARK_99.jpg[/attachment:3vzssbna][attachment=1:3vzssbna]ARK_100.jpg[/attachment:3vzssbna]

    January 21, 2019 at 3:04 pm #9250
    benjamintickell53
    Participant

    A question was asked on Facebook whether QQ in the QQ tower name referred to a telegraph call. No… the letter designations extended down the railroad covering junctions (transitions from single to double track, etc.) and interlocking plants. More research is needed to determine when MP implemented this naming system, but a dispatcher sheet from 1940 provides the actual telegraph calls in use at the time.

    [attachment=0:ajbw4cc1]telegraph-calls.jpg[/attachment:ajbw4cc1]

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