<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto">If one actually reads the referenced publication you will see the system does not deal with single letters. In short, there is a table of 24,000 words each with a five digit number. The number "123" is added to the number associated with each word in the message. This means the message transmitted is a list of words offset in the list by "123". <div><br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfSignature"><div dir="ltr">Sent from my digital telegraph key<div>Jim S</div></div><div dir="ltr"><br>On Jul 13, 2025, at 18:59, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org> wrote:<br><br></div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="auto"><div>So this is about the most nerdy thing I ever said. <div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">I am in the middle of cracking the German Enigma for fun and I had no idea railroads had codes. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Does anyone know more, and I guess I just found my next target. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">And just offsetting a number by a fixed amount does just about nothing for increasing the security. The Germans did stuff like that in 1938+ .... They just made it easier to crack.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Especially since it's being done symmetrically per the letter. Although it would still be another 12 years or so before publications by various mathematicians describe at least one fitness function that would apply to that type of operation, so I don't know about at the time it was written. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">David Baker</div><br><br><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Sun, Jul 13, 2025, 7:16 AM NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List <<a href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org">nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">If the words were in a code book, adding one hundred twenty three to them is more secure.<div>And keeps the message from the hot paloy.<br><div><br></div><div>Tom Cosgrove <br><br><div id="m_-7427634759799456822ymail_android_signature"><a id="m_-7427634759799456822ymail_android_signature_link" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aol.mobile.aolapp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Sent from AOL on Android</a></div> <br> <blockquote style="margin:0 0 20px 0"> <div style="font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:#6d00f6"> <div>On Sat, Jul 12, 2025 at 7:57 PM, NW Mailing List</div><div><<a href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org</a>> wrote:</div> </div> <div style="padding:10px 0 0 20px;margin:10px 0 0 0;border-left:1px solid #6d00f6"> <div id="m_-7427634759799456822yiv1231687943"><div dir="ltr"><div style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small">While looking through my assorted scans of documents from the L.E. Johnson correspondence files, I found this letter that Johnson as president of the N&W was cc'd on. It covers encoding telegrams sent between several superintendents and the general manager, A.C. Needles.</div><div style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div style="font-size:small"><font face="monospace">Subject: Re to cipher telegraph codes<br><br>Roanoke, Va.,April 1st, 1904/k<br><br>Mr. S.P. Johnson, Superintendent<br>Mr. M.J. Caples, "<br>Mr. W.S. Becker, "<br>Mr. E. ?. DuBarry, " Terminals,<br><br>Gentlemen:<br><br>Referring to my circular letter March 25th with regard to cipher telegraph code and your reply. We desire to be again in position to use Slaters Code, copy of which you have, but will change the key number to 123.<br><br>In deciphering messages received, subtract 123 from the numbers opposite the cipher words contained in telegram, and in transmitting messages add 123 to numbers opposite the words, the meaning of which it is necessary to conceal, using the words obtained by this means.<br><br>Please keep this key absolutely secret and post yourself as to use of the code so that we may send cipher messages without further notice should it become necessary.<br><br>Yours truly,<br><br>A.C. Needles,<br>General Superintendent</font><br></div><div style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div style="font-size:small"><font face="verdana, sans-serif">The memo references Slaters Code, which was a publication from 1888. <i>Slater's Telegraphic Code</i></font></div><font face="verdana, sans-serif"><i>to ensure secrecy in the transmission of telegrams</i><br>by Robert Slater<br><br>Publication date 1888<br>Publisher London, W.R. Gray<br></font><div style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small">The book, with a full explanation of how to use the coding, is found at <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer noreferrer" href="https://archive.org/details/telegraphiccodet00slatuoft/mode/2up" target="_blank">https://archive.org/details/telegraphiccodet00slatuoft/mode/2up</a></div><div style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small">Bruce in Blacksburg</div><div style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div></div>
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