Article: Unsung Heroes - Crews Keep Constant Vigil On Rail Routes - 1949

By Dick Frazier, Lansing Journal Staff Writer, March 13, 1949

Ever wonder how the railroads get their big, fast freight and passenger trains through Lansing on schedule and without mishap? Any railroad man will tell you that it isn't a simple matter. A lot of work - checking, watching, waiting and worrying - goes into the split-second timing which gets trains in and out of the city without smacking into each other.

Harry O'Brien, veteran yard master for the Michigan Central railroad here, thus describes the "red tape" involving a freight train as it passes through the capital city:

Let's assume that a west-bound freight is approaching Lansing. The train is just passing the Williamston freight yards, on the Chesapeake and Ohio road.

As soon as the train clears the yard office at Williamston, the operator there tells the operator at Trowbridge (southeast of Lansing) that the train has cleared his yards. The message is carried over a loud-speaker that is functioning 24 hours a day. Trowbridge is the intersection of the Grand Trunk Western and the Chesapeake and Ohio railroads just west of Harrison road in East Lansing.

Check Charts

The Trowbridge operator, after he receives notice from Williamston that a train is on its way, checks his charts to determine if it is safe for the train to cross the Grand Trunk tracks. He also has to check on eastbound C&O trains because the C&O has only one track between Lansing and Detroit. There is a mile-long siding just east of the Trowbridge crossing onto which trains can be switched. If the eastbound train gets to Trowbridge first, it is usually the one that goes on the siding to wait.

Now, let's get back to our westbound freight. The Trowbridge operator knows it will take about 15 minutes for the train to come from Williamston. If more than that amount of time lapses and the train doesn't come into sight, the operator can notify Williamston so that a check can be made. If a train is forced to stop between stations because of mechanical trouble, the conductor can notify the nearest station from telephone boxes situated about one mile apart all along the line.

Green Light

When the westbound freight approaches Trowbridge and the crossing is clear, the operator, from his station near the crossing, puts up a green signal which permits the train to cross. The signal is red the rest of the time and all approaching trains must stop unless the signal is changed.

As the train clears the crossing, the Trowbridge operator notifies the Michigan Central operator at Michigan Avenue that a train is coming. The C&O leases the MC tracks through the city. The Michigan Avenue operator then must determine if there are any C&O or MC trains scheduled to use the tracks before giving the westbound train the green signal.

The Michigan Avenue operator notifies the operator at the Grand River avenue crossing [North Lansing] as the train clears his station, and the Grand River avenue operator must check his charts and tables before permitting the train to leave the city. He in turn notifies the C&O dispatcher at DeWitt road who must check the main line schedule between Lansing and Lake Odessa before allowing the train to enter the single track.

Phone Speed Up

Use of the telephone in recent years has speeded up the dispatching of trains. Previously, the telegraph was used and misinterpretation of signals often led to confusion and delay.

Probably the unsung heroes of the railroad are the section hands which job it is to keep the rails in tiptop working order at all times. Their job is doubly difficult in winter, when ice often freezes in switches. They must be ready at all time to go out, into all kinds of weather, to keep the switches in operating order. A frozen switch could easily result in a derailment, which might tie up railroad traffic for hours.

[Lansing State Journal, Lansing, Michigan March 13, 1949]