Train no. 426 taking water from water column. Switchtender shanty and target signal in view

NG501045

Train no. 426 taking water from water column. Switchtender shanty and target signal in view

Steam Locomotive

The engine crew of train no. 426 finish ministering to their charge, J-1 no. 5300, as it comes time for them to leave Springfield and resume their eastward run from Cincinnati to Cleveland. The engineer heads for the gangway with his long-necked oilcan, and the fireman swings the waterspout away from the tender manhole. These two rituals, "oiling around" and taking water, were among the oldest and best-known of the traditional duties connected with railroading which were lost as a result of the motive power revolution. Another symbol of old-time railroading, the target signal, stands ahead of the train and indicates assent to its forthcoming departure. This and other signals in the vicinity, along with the switches at the principal points of divergence, are the domain of the Linden Avenue switch-tender, whose headquarters are in the shanty at the base of the target. The major functions of this individual are to set up routes in and out of the east end of the depot and around the legs of the wye in which the lines from Columbus and Bellefontaine connect. This arrangement of trackage will be more apparent in the next photograph; suffice it to say that the train, on depot track two, will cross depot three at the puzzle just ahead of it and the Bellefontaine (or Sandusky) line mains on the diamonds immediately beyond. The vertical aspect of the target indicates "proceed to or from Columbus line".

Jeremy Taylor

Jeremy Taylor

2-1/4x3-1/4 neg

Apr-53

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4/6/2004

316

J-1d

#5300

Alco-Schen

Springfield, OH

See NG501045a