Station Information

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Leslie

Well you have a good question.  Not sure I have the answer.  Gluck was 
listed as a legal station on the N&W (one on file with the ICC from at 
least 1929 to 1963). This would mean that some level of Common Carrier 
service was provided.  Will stop on signal may have various meanings.  A 
signal could be one by the dispatcher, the agent on duty or someone wanting 
the train to stop and waving his arm etc. I suspect the arm wave by a 
waiting passenger is the most plausible explanation.

When you find these non-timetable points on the main line where there were 
many trains there is normally a note in the timetable which trains will 
stop at non scheduled stations.  Not all trains would stop and some were 
restricted to which non scheduled stations they would stop. Not sure about 
the Dry Fork but suspect they only had one passenger train in each 
direction during the time period in question. This train would stop at 
every timetable stop and would slow to stop on a signal by person standing 
by the track on the platform.

That stop on signal was a bothersome question to me one time when I was 14 
years old.  I caught the east bound Pocahontas out of Roanoke and was going 
to meet the west bound Pocahontas at Crewe which my dad was conductor for 
the return to Roanoke.  That particular day the west bound train was late 
and the conductor on the east bound told me to ride on and we would meet 
the westbound at some point. Any way I was put off in Blackstone as I 
recall by Conductor Tucker Bowles and told the west bound would stop and 
pick me up.  Well at this time the Pocahontas was only required to stop at 
Blackstone to discharge or pick up passengers a non scheduled 
stop.  Needles to say I did not get very far from that track until the 
westbound train stopped as I had no idea how they would know to stop except 
by my hand.  Since he was late, I don't think the non required stop at 
Blackstone was appreciated by the westbound conductor.  Not sure if the 
train ever came to a complete stop but perhaps just picked me up by the 
collar. Apparently they knew who was there.

Jim Blackstock


At 09:53 PM 2/14/2005, you wrote:
>Looking in the 1940 passenger timetable...
>
>It lists, in table 25, the Dry Fork schedule pass train. It lists
>the regual sceduled stops and a couple of towns as flag stops...
>I get it...but...
>
>On a following page, there is a heading titled...
>"Stations at which no time is shown at which trains will stop on signal"
>Sounds pretty self explanatory....but...then...
>
>It says...
>
>"Scheduled trains stop at Gluck, Bartley, Lomax, Susanna, Canebrake
>and Hartwell: and stop at Mile Branch, Garland, Tusler, and Brit
>on signal"
>
>None of these towns are listed as stops on the scheduled train.
>
>So my questions are, for example, Gluck is neither listed on the
>schedule as a scheduled stop or a flag stop, so what kind of stop is it?
>and, is the sentence, being written 55 years ago throwing me off and
>everything in the above paragraph is a "stop on signal", and if so,
>why list it in two sentences?
>
>Thanks
>Leslie Eversole
>
>
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