"Office Calls"

Any historical questions can be posted here. Answers would certainly help as well :)
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C&O Dispatcher
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"Office Calls"

Unread post by C&O Dispatcher »

I noticed that donnieland had used office calls over on the "heads up" page. Since I've time on my hands, thought I'd write a little blurb about them. They, of course, date back to telegraph days and were used by the dispatcher to "call" an operator onto the line, and the operators used them as identification when OSing trains at their station. When I started in 1970, the telegraph was gone, but the office calls still lived on. The rules used to require that after the dispatcher gave a "complete" time on a train order, or an "OK" time on a Clearance Form A, that the operator acknowledge it with his/her initials and office call. At Carleton, I would respond "DMH-CN". As dispatchers, we used them in our transfers to the relieving dispatcher and in intra-office communications between dispatchers. For example, my transfer for coming on duty might contain something like this: DF-V local, V to DF. P/U K, S/O BI, P/U JC, work SV. Translation: Ludington-Evart Local, Evart to Ludington, pick up at Reed City, set off at Baldwin, pick up at Walhalla, work at Scottville. We also used them in the train order book to identify the "at" location where orders were issued. The example below shows how an order would look in the train order book. In this case WS=Wash Ave (Saginaw), JY=Plymouth, MF=Rougemere and CN=Carleton. We underlined every word and number as the operators repeated them back to us. Thought perhaps a few might be interested in this sort of thing.
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C&O Dispatcher
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Re: "Office Calls"

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img272.jpg
Even after we "went CSX" before Jacksonville, our train sheets still showed the office calls.
Last edited by C&O Dispatcher on Thu Jan 21, 2021 7:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

GTWTD3
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Re: "Office Calls"

Unread post by GTWTD3 »

When I first started dispatching for NS (2007ish) we would use the old office calls on our turnovers frequently or work events. Notes from the assistant chief such as (15V set out 5631 at FS {Mansfield}).
C&O Dispatcher wrote:
Sat Jan 16, 2021 11:16 am
img272.jpgEven after we "went CSX" before Jacksonville, our train sheets still showed the office calls.
The dispatcher is cool.

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KVERBERK
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Re: "Office Calls"

Unread post by KVERBERK »

Thanks for sharing C&O dispatcher. I find this sort of thing interesting, and always enjoy your contributions.
Up North TSBY/GLC Fan

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