CHAPTER XI
MAKING A SCHEDULE
"You understand me, Fairbanks?"
"Perfectly, Mr. Drake."
"You have helped us out of trouble before this and I believe you can beof inestimable service in the present instance. We are sorry to lose afirst-class engineer, but we need you somewhere else, and need youbadly."
They were seated in the private office of the superintendent of theGreat Northern, that august official and the young engineer of theOverland Express, and a long, earnest and serious colloquy had justended.
"From what I have told you and from what you have personally discovered,it is more than apparent that a plot is on foot among our traindispatchers to cripple the running time of the road for the benefit ofthe opposition."
"There is little doubt of that, I think," said Ralph.
"There is a leak somewhere, and it must be stopped."
"It is my opinion that investigations should begin at the fountainhead," submitted Ralph.
"That is just where we shall begin. It may be a hard, even a dangeroustask. We look to you, Fairbanks, for results."
It was the third day after Ralph's adventure in the tunnel. Not much hadhappened of active importance during that time. Ralph had met thesuperintendent on three different occasions. The present one was adefinite culmination of a series.
The young railroader felt very much pleased at the confidence placed inhim by the railroad head. It stirred his pride because it had all comeabout naturally. The superintendent had told him that after a littlepreliminary work he was to be made chief dispatcher of the Westerndivision of the road. It was a grand promotion, both in importance andsalary, enough to satisfy the most ambitious person working for a rapidrise.
Ralph had been sent to the home of the paymaster by the superintendent,and there was a colloquy there. Bob Adair, the road detective, wascalled in from the other end of the line, and Ralph told him the storyof Glen Palmer and his grandfather, leaving the officer to work outhimself whatever mystery might surround the two.
In plain words, somebody was tampering with the train dispatchingservice of the road. Some one on the inside was giving out importantinformation. Cross orders had gone over the wires in a mysterious wayand could not be traced. There had been two bad freight wrecks, andtwice the Overland Express had been caught in a tangle brought about byvague contradictory orders and had come in many hours late.
As to those who were suspected of being responsible for this state ofaffairs Ralph was apprized in his talks with the superintendent. Theplans to trap them and fasten the proofs of conspiracy upon them wereall outlined to the young railroader. Ralph had blocked out just what hewas expected to do, but that day as he was led to the office of thetrain dispatcher by the superintendent he knew that he had no easy taskbefore him.
Glidden was in charge as they came into the place. The two trick menunder him and the copy operators were busy at their tables. Mounted on aroll in front of Glidden was the current official time card of thedivision. From the information contained thereon he had evidently justfinished his calculation for time orders, meeting points and worktrains.
"Good morning, Glidden," said the superintendent. "I spoke to youyesterday about our friend, Fairbanks here."
The gruff dispatcher nodded brusquely. He liked Ralph and the latterknew it. Ralph also knew that Glidden was one of the "true blues" of theoffice.
"His arm is not strong enough to pull a lever, but he's in shape totackle a key, and knows how to do it."
"Glad," vouchsafed Glidden tersely.
"All right. Set him at work."
"Come on," said Glidden, and he opened the little office gate and Ralphstood within the charmed precincts of the train dispatching circle.
"You've had some experience, I understand," resumed Glidden, after somebustling about. "I suppose you know what an O. S. report is?"
"The one sent in by operators of the various stations as trains arriveand depart."
"Exactly, and the 'Consists'?"
"The conductors' messages giving the exact composition and destinationof every car in the train."
"You'll do," nodded Glidden. "Now, then, I have an inkling you and I arebooked for something special at the relay station to-night, so youneedn't work yourself out. Just for practice, though, and to prove howsmart you are, show the kind of stuff you are made of by tackling that."
Glidden threw down a train sheet before Ralph, and following it a copiedtelegram. Then he strode away, with the words:
"Make out a schedule for this special, giving her a clean sweep from endto end with the exception of No. 8."
"Very well, Mr. Glidden," said Ralph quietly. "How soon do you want it?"
"Take your time," was the short reply, while a chuckle sounded deep downin the throat of the dispatcher.
Ralph set his lips grimly. He realized that for a green hand he had beengiven an arduous task. He knew much about the service, however, and hadnot watched, studied and absorbed during the past two days for nothing.He was fully determined that this special should have "a run for hermoney." If she ran on his schedule, no train load was going away withthe idea that the Great Northern was not the swiftest road of the bunchif he could help it, and Ralph had a big idea that he could.
Glidden sent over a copy operator, a young fellow who agreed to do thecopying while Ralph made the schedule. There was a whimsical twinkle inhis eye, but Ralph dauntlessly started in at his work.
The special in question was to be whooped through that afternoon, therun was one hundred and two miles, with plenty of sidings and passingtracks, and besides, old Dan Lacey, with engine No. 86, was on, so hecould be sure of a run that was a hummer.
The superintendent came into the office for a moment to see what Ralphwas at, and said carelessly:
"Tear things loose, Fairbanks. There's a Congressional RailroadCommittee aboard of that special. Make 'em all car sick."
Ralph took the train sheet and familiarized himself with its everydetail. Down its centre was printed the names of all the stations on thedivision and the distances between them. On either side of the maincolumn were ruled smaller columns, each one of which represented atrain. The number of each train was at the head of the appropriatecolumn, and under it the names of the conductor and engineer and thenumber of loads and empties on the train.
All trains on the division were arranged in three classes, and as Ralphknew had certain rights. Trains of the first class were passengers. Thethrough freight and combination freight and passenger made up the secondclass. All other trains, such as local freights, work trains andconstruction trains, composed the third class.
Ralph began his calculating on the basis of the invariable rule in forceon all railroads, that trains running one way have the exclusive rightover trains of their own and inferior classes running in the oppositedirection. Ralph began his work by framing up the initial order:
"Order number 29 To G. N. E.--all trains G. N. R. R. (Western Division) Dispatcher's office
D. S.
Special east engine No. 86 will run from Rockton to Dover, having right of track over all trains except No. 8 on the following schedule:
Leave Rockton 3:12 P. M.
There Ralph paused.
"Stuck," insinuated his copy operator with a grin.
"No, only thinking," declared Ralph.
Here was where the figuring came in, along with the knowledge of theroad, grades and the like, in which Ralph was by no means lacking, forhe knew familiarly nearly every foot of the way out of Rockton. Hestudied and used up lots of gray matter and even chewed up a pencil ortwo. Ralph read his schedule carefully and handed it to the second trickoperator. The latter knitted his brows for a moment and then slowlysaid:
"For a beginner that's the best schedule I ever saw."
"Thank you," bowed Ralph modestly.
"It's a hummer, without a doubt. To prevent the lives of theCongressi
onal Committee being placed in peril, though, I think you hadbetter make another."
"Think so?" questioned Ralph blankly.
"You see," went on the operator solemnly, "you have only allowed sevenminutes between Lisle and Hull, while the time card shows the distanceto be six miles. Dan Lacey and his engine 86 are capable of great burstsof speed, but they can't fly. Then there's the through. She's an hourlate from the south today. What are you going to do about her. Pass themon one track, I suppose?"
"He's guying you, Fairbanks," spoke a gruff but pleased voice at Ralph'sshoulder. "Lacey can make the spurt without a quiver, and as youprobably noticed the late through is cancelled for transfer atBlakeville. You'll do."
Ralph picked up a good deal of general information that day. Heperfected himself in the double-order system. This covered the giving ofan order to all trains concerned at the same time. A case came up wherethe dispatcher desired to make a meeting point for two trains. The orderwas sent simultaneously to both of them. Ralph had a case in point wherea train was leaving his end of the division and wherein it was necessaryto make a meeting point with a train coming in. Before giving his orderto his conductor and engineer he telegraphed to a station at which theincoming train would soon arrive. From there the operator repeated themessage back word for word, giving a signal that his red board wasturned. By this means both trains received the same order and therewould be no doubt about the point at which they were to meet.
Time orders, slow orders, extra orders, annulment orders, clearanceorders--Ralph found that any one gifted with a reasonable amount ofcommon sense and having practical knowledge of the rudiments ofmathematics could do the work successfully. Beneath all the simplicityof the system, however, the young railroader realized that there ran adeep undercurrent of complications that only long time and a cool headcould master.
All of a sudden sometimes some train out on the road that had beenrunning all right would bob up with a hot box or a broken draw head, andthen all the calculations for a new train would be knocked awry.
About four o'clock in the afternoon the superintendent came into theoffice and made a gesture towards Ralph which the latter understoodperfectly. He nudged Glidden as he passed him, who blinked up at himintelligently. Then Ralph went home.
It was just after dusk that the young dispatcher left the cottage. Ithad set in a cold tempestuous night with blinding snow eddies, and Ralphwore a protecting storm coat, and carried a good lunch in one of itscapacious pockets.
He walked about a mile across town until he came to the limits crossing,and stood in the shelter of a flagman's shanty for a few minutes. Then asharp whistle greeted his ears. He strained his vision and made out adim form loitering near a big heap of ties.
"Mr. Glidden?" spoke Ralph, advancing to meet this man.
"That's what," responded Glidden, in his usually snappy way. "Allready?"
"Yes."
"It's all arranged. The regular men have been called off for the night.You take the relay station, and I'll be on duty at the tower stationbeyond, catching the messages that fly over the wires, and see if wecan't nail the people who are making the Great Northern all thistrouble."
Ralph, the Train Dispatcher; Or, The Mystery of the Pay Car Page 11
