Pritchard and Other Coaling Stations

[NW Mailing List]

I enjoyed the detailed article in the *Arrow* about the construction of the
coaling and watering station at Pritchard. Now I have questions about how
it (and others like it) operated.

I assume parts of it operated 24 hours a day, although the article did say
there wouldn't be a night shift for the hoist and the water softening
plant. How many workers were typically engaged in the operation? Who and
how were the switches controlled to move trains on to the right track to
reach a standpipe, then under the correct coal chute (stoker coal vs.
hand-fired)? Were stops at the facility scheduled much like station stops
so the workers would know what trains to expect when? Was there a telegraph
office there to track movements? Who did what in the process -- did the
fireman take care of filling the tender with water and coal or did he have
help from the workers at the facility? What about dropping ashes? How were
the hoppers spotted when delivering coal for the facility, along with
moving empties and cars with cinders? Was that a job for a local
that passed through? Was there a "coal master" like a yardmaster in charge
on each shift? Lots of details that aren't normally thought about.

Bruce, curious in Blacksburg
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