Train order operation

Last updated March 20, 2024

Train order operation is a system for safely moving trains using train orders, as opposed to fixed signals or cab signalling. In train order operation, a "train order" is an order issued by or through a proper railway official to govern the movement of trains".^[1]

Train order operation was widely used by the railroads of North America before the days of centralized traffic control (CTC), direct traffic control (DTC), and the use of track warrants conveyed by radio. The system used a set of rules when direct communication between train dispatchers and trains was limited or non-existent. Trains would follow a predetermined operating plan, known as the timetable, unless superseded by train orders conveyed to the train from the dispatcher, through local intermediaries. Train order operation was a system that required minimum human overhead in an era before widespread use of technology-based automation. It was the most practical way for railroads with limited capital resources, or lines with limited traffic, to operate. To this day, many short lines, heritage railways, and railroad museums continue to use Train Order operation.

North American usage

Timetable and train order operation was widely used on North American railroads that had a single main track with periodic passing sidings. Timetable and train orders were used to determine which train had the right of way at any point along the line. A train which had the right of way over another train was said to be the superior train. Trains could be superior by right, by class or by direction. While a train dispatcher could establish "right" via train orders, the operating timetable established scheduled trains, their class and the superior direction. The "class" designation of a train equates to its priority, with passenger trains having the highest, freight trains having less and Extra (unscheduled) trains having the lowest. In case of trains of the same class meeting the superior direction would then apply. On single track rail lines, the timetable specifies (explicitly or implicitly) the points at which two trains would meet and pass. It would be the responsibility of the inferior train to clear the main track a safe time before the superior train is scheduled to pass. The timetable thus provides the basic framework for train movement on a particular portion of the railroad. However, variations in traffic levels from day to day, unforeseen delays, the need to perform maintenance, and other contingencies required that railroads find a way to deviate from their established schedules.

Deviations from the timetable operation would be enacted through train orders sent from the train dispatcher to block operators. These orders would override the established timetable priorities and provide trains with explicit instructions on how to run. Train orders consisted of two types, protection and authority. Protective train orders would be used to ensure that no trains would be at risk of colliding with another along the line. Once the protective orders had been delivered to block operators (who might pass them to train crews), an authority could be issued to a train to move over the line where protection had been established. Normally the timetable established both protection and authority for scheduled trains so train orders were only used for extra trains, which were not in the timetable, and scheduled trains moving contrary to their normal authorities.

Timetable and train order operation supplanted earlier forms of timetable only and line-of-sight running. The ability for a single dispatcher to issue train orders was enabled by the invention of the electric telegraph in the 1840s. The earliest recorded usage of the telegraph to convey train orders in the US came in 1851 on the Erie Railroad ^[2] and by the time of the American Civil War, nearly every railroad had adopted the system. Gradually the telegraph was supplanted by the telephone as the preferred method of communication. By the 1970s, this function was carried out primarily by two-way radio.^[3] With the advent of radio communications, timetable and train order operation began to fall out of favor as DTC and CTC became more common on major carriers. CTC enabled dispatchers to set up meets remotely and allowed trains to proceed entirely on signal indication. Where signals were not present, DTC and the related track warrant control allowed dispatchers to directly inform trains what they were to do instead of needing to work through intermediaries or have the train crews figure things out for themselves.

Train order

The train order provides the means to deal with changes in operating conditions as they arise. Orders modify the established timetable. Among the functions a train order can perform are:^[4]

Creating a train not provided for by the timetable (an "extra")
Annulling a train provided by the timetable
Creating sections of a schedule (in essence "cloning" a train's schedule and class when, for example, too much traffic exists to be handled by a single train)
Setting meeting points between extras since they have no timetable schedule
Altering timetable meeting points (for example when one train is late and adhering to the timetable meeting point would cause delays for other trains)
Altering the schedule of a train to allow other trains to run with respect to the altered schedule rather than that given in the timetable
Giving a train rights over another train that ordinarily has timetable superiority
Conveying warnings about temporary conditions such as temporary speed limits, track conditions or hazards which might affect the safety of trains or train crews

Train-order station

A train-order station is a control point at which trains can be stopped and controlled through the use of train orders.^[5] A station has a distinct name, and may have any of the following:

A siding or other track by which trains can pass each other
A communications means for an operator to receive train orders
A signal to indicate to trains whether there are train orders to be picked up

A train order station need not be at a passenger or freight station, nor does such a station have to handle train orders.^[5] In isolated areas, train order stations may be required where there are no towns, to facilitate smooth operation. In denser areas, passenger stations may be spaced more closely than train order stations.

A station may staffed by an operator who receives train orders and gives them to trains as they pass. Operators also record the passage of trains by their station. Upon receipt of an order, the operator makes copies and sets the signal to indicate to approaching trains that orders are to be picked up. Some train-order signals had three positions:

Proceed (green light or vertical blade): No orders; train may proceed
Receive orders (yellow light or diagonal blade): Pick up orders without stopping
Stop (red light or horizontal blade): Stop to receive orders or to wait for another train to pass^[6]

Dispatcher and operator procedures

Train orders were issued by the dispatcher responsible for the portion of railroad concerned. They were conveyed to operators at outlying stations along the railroad via telegraph or telephone. The receiving operators would copy the order onto onionskin (multiple-copy) forms designed for that purpose, and would repeat the order back to the dispatcher.^[7] This permitted the dispatcher and other operators concerned to confirm the accuracy or the order. As each operator correctly repeated the order, the dispatcher would give a complete time, along with the initials of the designated railroad official for that territory.^[8] After the order was completed, it was delivered by the operator to the concerned trains as they arrived or passed the delivery point.^[7] The operating timetable indicated locations at which train crews could expect to receive train orders. If that same timetable did not require that a train receive a "Clearance Form A" before departing, then a train order signal of some type was provided to advise train crews whether or not train orders were to be delivered.^[8] Delivery was accomplished by hand, if the train stopped, or posted trackside to be grabbed by a crew member while the train continued to move past the station. With the latter, the paper order was placed in a train order fork or hoop, either held by the operator as the train passed or mounted at trackside.^[7]

The train and engine crews addressed by the order were required to observe the instructions provided in the train order, the details of which were provided by the railroad's operating rule book to be acted upon.

Explanation of sample train order^[4]
Train order No. 115	Salem Yd, 11-2-1944	Specifies the order number, location issued (the dispatcher's office at the yard in Salem, Illinois) and date
To: C & E Extra 2005 North		Specifies the train(s) addressed and their location; this copy of the order is addressed to "conductor and engineer of Extra 2005 North at VN Tower". Extra trains are designated by their engine number. All trains affected by any order must receive a copy of the order, which will be addressed at whatever location the order is to be delivered to those trains.
At: VN Tower
No 123 Eng 1001 take siding meet Extra 2005 North at Kell instead of Texico		Modifies the meet location between regular train No 123 and Extra 2005 specified in a previously issued order and specifies which train takes siding at meeting point. The engine number is specified for the scheduled train so that other trains can identify it by sight.
take siding meet No 174 Eng 895 and Extra 1937 North at Benton		Specifies another meet between No 123 and two other trains, one scheduled and one extra. This meet is not relevant to the train crew of Extra 2005 North.
No 122 Eng 222 take siding meet No 123 Eng 1001 at Texico		Specifies another meet between No 123 and another scheduled train. This is a separate statement to emphasise that No 122 will take the siding in this meet. Again, not relevant to the train crew of Extra 2005 North.
Made complete 659 am by RED		Time and call sign (initials) of the dispatcher issuing the order; once "made complete", the order becomes operative and continues so until fulfilled, superseded, or annulled.
Operator Cole		The name of the operator copying and repeating the order at VN Tower.

Australian usage

Train orders are also used in Australia, but differ a lot from their North American counterparts. There is no need for block operators, as there is direct verbal communication between the dispatcher and driver. Authority to occupy a track is received directly from the dispatcher, with the train crew filling out the details on a form, similarly to as in Track Warrant Control. At the end of their authority, the crew "fulfills" the order, after which another order may be issued for another train to occupy that track. An order can be "cancelled" if the train cannot continue for any reason (stalled, broken down, etcetera), allowing another train to occupy that line as well.

Most notably, the Trans-Australian Railway makes use of the system on most of its length.

Related Research Articles

A conductor or guard is a train crew member responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve actual operation of the train/locomotive. The conductor title is most common in North American railway operations, but the role is common worldwide under various job titles. In Commonwealth English, a conductor is also known as guard or train manager.

A railway signal is a visual display device that conveys instructions or provides warning of instructions regarding the driver's authority to proceed. The driver interprets the signal's indication and acts accordingly. Typically, a signal might inform the driver of the speed at which the train may safely proceed or it may instruct the driver to stop.

Railway signalling (BE), or railroad signaling (AE), is a system used to control the movement of railway traffic. Trains move on fixed rails, making them uniquely susceptible to collision. This susceptibility is exacerbated by the enormous weight and inertia of a train, which makes it difficult to quickly stop when encountering an obstacle. In the UK, the Regulation of Railways Act 1889 introduced a series of requirements on matters such as the implementation of interlocked block signalling and other safety measures as a direct result of the Armagh rail disaster in that year.

Rail transport operations are the day-to-day operations of a railway. A railway has two major components: the infrastructure and the rolling stock

In railway signalling, an interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements through an arrangement of tracks such as junctions or crossings. In North America, a set of signalling appliances and tracks interlocked together are sometimes collectively referred to as an interlocking plant or just as an interlocking. An interlocking system is designed so that it is impossible to display a signal to proceed unless the route to be used is proven safe.

A track warrant is a set of instructions issued to a train crew authorizing specific train movements. The system is widely used in North America. The warrant is issued by the train dispatcher and delivered to the train crew via radio. The train crew copies the instructions onto a pre-printed paper form and reads back the warrant to ensure that nothing was misunderstood.

Cab signaling is a railway safety system that communicates track status and condition information to the cab, crew compartment or driver's compartment of a locomotive, railcar or multiple unit. The information is continually updated giving an easy to read display to the train driver or engine driver.

Centralized traffic control (CTC) is a form of railway signalling that originated in North America. CTC consolidates train routing decisions that were previously carried out by local signal operators or the train crews themselves. The system consists of a centralized train dispatcher's office that controls railroad interlockings and traffic flows in portions of the rail system designated as CTC territory. One hallmark of CTC is a control panel with a graphical depiction of the railroad. On this panel, the dispatcher can keep track of trains' locations across the territory that the dispatcher controls. Larger railroads may have multiple dispatcher's offices and even multiple dispatchers for each operating division. These offices are usually located near the busiest yards or stations, and their operational qualities can be compared to air traffic towers.

A single-track railway is a railway where trains traveling in both directions share the same track. Single track is usually found on lesser-used rail lines, often branch lines, where the level of traffic is not high enough to justify the cost of constructing and maintaining a second track.

Standards for North American railroad signaling in the United States are issued by the Association of American Railroads (AAR), which is a trade association of the railroads of Canada, the US, and Mexico. Their system is loosely based on practices developed in the United Kingdom during the early years of railway development. However, North American practice diverged from that of the United Kingdom due to different operating conditions and economic factors between the two regions. In Canada, the Canadian Rail Operating Rules (CROR) are approved by the Minister of Transport under the authority of the Railway Safety Act. Each railway company or transit authority in Canada issues its own CROR rulebook with special instructions peculiar to each individual property. Among the distinctions are:

Signalling block systems enable the safe and efficient operation of railways by preventing collisions between trains. The basic principle is that a track is broken up into a series of sections or "blocks". Only one train may occupy a block at a time, and the blocks are sized to allow a train to stop within them. That ensures that a train always has time to stop before getting dangerously close to another train on the same line. The block system is referred to in the UK as the method of working, in the US as the method of operation, and in Australia as safeworking.

A train dispatcher (US), rail traffic controller (Canada), train controller (Australia), train service controller (Singapore) or signaller (UK), is employed by a railroad to direct and facilitate the movement of trains over an assigned territory, which is usually part, or all, of a railroad operating division. The dispatcher is also responsible for cost effective movement of trains and other on-track railroad equipment to optimize physical (trains) and human resource (crews) assets.

Direct traffic control (DTC) is a system for authorizing track occupancy used on some railroads instead of or in addition to signals. It is known as "direct" traffic control because the train dispatcher gives track authority directly to the train crew via radio, as opposed to through wayside personnel via telephone or telegraph, as in train orders.

The General Code of Operating Rules (GCOR) is a set of operating rules for railroads in the United States. The GCOR is used by Class I railroads west of Chicago, most of the Class II railroads, and many Short-line railroads.

A signalman or signaller is an employee of a railway transport network who operates the points and signals from a signal box in order to control the movement of trains.

Automatic block signaling (ABS), spelled automatic block signalling or called track circuit block (TCB) in the UK, is a railroad communications system that consists of a series of signals that divide a railway line into a series of sections, called blocks. The system controls the movement of trains between the blocks using automatic signals. ABS operation is designed to allow trains operating in the same direction to follow each other in a safe manner without risk of rear-end collision.

Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System (ACSES) is a positive train control cab signaling system developed by Alstom. The system is designed to prevent train-to-train collisions, protect against overspeed, and protect work crews with temporary speed restrictions. The information about permanent and temporary speed restrictions is transmitted to the train by transponders (Balises) lying in the track, coded track circuits and digital radio. It was installed beginning in 2000 on all of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston, and has been fully active since December 2015, a few months after the 2015 Philadelphia train derailment which it would have prevented.

The Order of Railroad Telegraphers (ORT) was a United States labor union established in the late nineteenth century to promote the interests of telegraph operators working for the railroads.

Communications-based train control (CBTC) is a railway signaling system that uses telecommunications between the train and track equipment for traffic management and infrastructure control. CBTC allows a train's position to be known more accurately than with traditional signaling systems. This makes railway traffic management safer and more efficient. Metros are able to reduce headways while maintaining or even improving safety.

Charles Minot was an American railroad executive at the Erie Railroad, where in 1850 he became Superintendent as successor of James P. Kirkwood, and was succeeded by Daniel McCallum in 1854. After the bankruptcy of the Erie in 1859 he was reinstated as general superintendent of the Erie railroad.

References

↑ "Train order". Railway Age's Comprehensive Railroad Dictionary. Simmons-Boardman Books. 2002. p. 256. ISBN 0-911382-27-5.
↑ Daniels, Rudolph (2000). Trains Across the Continent: North American Railroad History . Indiana University Press. pp. 223. ISBN 0-253-21411-4.
↑ Solomon, Brian (2010). Railroad Signaling. Voyageur Press. pp. 30–31. ISBN 978-0-7603-3881-0.
1 2 Pennsylvania 1956 Railroad Rulebook Rules pg43-50
1 2 Solomon, Brian (2015). Railway Depots, Stations & Terminals. Minneapolis: Voyageur Press. p. 62. ISBN 9781627887786.
↑ Solomon, Brian (2003). Railroad Signaling . Minneapolis: Voyageur Press. p. 31.
1 2 3 McEvoy, Stephen (2007). The Classic Railway Signal Tower. pp. 109–112. ISBN 978-1-59872-858-3.
1 2 Pennsylvania 1956 Railroad Rulebook. pp. 37–42.

v t e Railway signalling
Block systems	Absolute block signalling Automatic block signaling Centralized traffic control Communications-based train control Direct traffic control European Train Control System Moving block Radio Electronic Token Block Token Track Warrant Control Train order operation
Signalling control	Block post Integrated Electronic Control Centre Interlocking Lever frame Rail operating centre Solid State Interlocking Westlock Interlocking
Signals	Application of railway signals Cab signalling North American railroad signals Railway semaphore signal
Train detection	Axle counter Track circuit Track circuit interrupter Treadle
Train protection	Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System ALSN ASFA ATACS Automatic train control Automatic train operation Automatic train protection Automatic Train Protection (United Kingdom) Automatic train stop Automatic Warning System Automatische treinbeïnvloeding Balise Catch points Chinese Train Control System Cityflo 650 CBTC Continuous Automatic Warning System Contrôle de vitesse par balises EBICAB IIATS Integra-Signum Interoperable Communications Based Signaling Crocodile Linienzugbeeinflussung Positive Train Control Pulse code cab signaling Punktförmige Zugbeeinflussung RS4 Codici SelTrac Sistema Controllo Marcia Treno SACEM Slide fence Train automatic stopping controller Train Protection & Warning System Train stop Trainguard MT Transmission balise-locomotive Transmission Voie-Machine
Crossing signals	Level crossing signals Crossbuck Wigwag E-signal Wayside horn
Manufacturers	Adtranz Alstom Federal General Electric GRS Griswold Hall Hitachi Magnetic Progress Rail Safetran Saxby Siemens Smith and Yardley Thales Union Switch Westinghouse Brake & Signal Westinghouse Rail Systems
Organisations	AAR AREMA ERA FRA HMRI IRSE Transport Canada UIC
By country	Australia Bavaria Belgium Canada China Finland France Germany Greece Italy Japan Netherlands New Zealand North America Norway Poland Sweden Switzerland Thailand United Kingdom