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Show . j jOn On the Right Tract\ Tract Track TractIn TrackA TrackW \ : A , W _ " , ; p , N r , r y yN y4k 4k _ PictureParade Picture Parade ParadeIn railroad center hundreds o.f of . trains trainsarrlve trainsarrive the world s greatest In Chicago through the theyards theyards of tracks Gliding a network daily over and leave arrlve arrive streamlmer streamliner from the Paeillc Pacific coast , , passengers see suburban suburbantrams suburbantrains yards on a each other otherUnseen otherUnseen and repassing repasring trams trains gomg going west , , others gomg going north passing of traffic Is the tram dIspatcher dIspatcherwho dispatcherwho U this complex flow s Unseen . , but dIrectlng directing . who calmly SIts at his desk makmg making marks on a iong long sheet o.f of paper telegraph and teletype are at his command There Is no fuss or bother in m this qUIet qUIetroom quietroom quietroom room which should-by should by shouldbyall should - byall all standards ot of human humanbehavIorbe humanbehaviorbe humanbehavior behavIor-be behavIor be - be a madhouseot madhouseof madhouse of activity actlvlty At any gIven gIvenmoment givenmoment givenmoment moment the dIspatcher dispatchercan can report the exact pOSI posy pOSItJon posylion positlon tJon lion ot of every train tram on bis his division no small feat In Ina ina ina a railroad center like IifceChicago IifceChicagoAccidents Chi Chicago Chicago cago cagoAccidents Accidents are almost almostun almostunknown almostunknown un unknown known in metropolItan metropolItanterminals metropolitanterminals metropolitanterminals terminals like Chicago Chicagoand Chicagoand Chicagoand and New York certamly certainly certamlymuch certainlymuch certainlymuch much less iess commonplace commonplacethan commonplacethan commonplacethan than in outlying dIstrIcts dIstrIctsOne districtsOne districtsOne One ol of the leading Jeadmg safety safetyfactors safetyfactors safetyactors factors [ has been the block blocksIgnal blocksignal blocksignal sIgnal w h t i f c h Ii dIvIdes dIvIdestrackage dividestrackage dividestrackage trackage into mto sections and andautomatIcally andautomaticaflystops andautomaticallystops . automatIcally automaticaflystops stops tr-alDs tr alDs trains tralDsat trainsat trainsat - at danger pointsT points _ . , . , , _ _ - - - r---- r - - - - T ' ' - h - ' t p . sa J " 4 , 'jt 'j j ' ( ( W 41 _ . , r , . y yr 1 1i 1w i w . . Gk a , R RLS 1 LS b a . r r a aq _ _ q _ r } . 3 3y y t'0 t0 is"yr isyr " try ,44 44 , , ' 41a4 41a4d 41a4w d K K1 w x -1 1 - " . t " ' ' - . - za ? + m.r mr m.rqua , . qua ' r ' e ffirM3f.9 ffirM3f9 . ' M , a ' 7d A AM _ F 9 ' $ 'a6 a6 'a6There ' There are several thousand miles of trackage In the Clucago Chicago area areabut areabut but the dispatcher knows the exact posItIon of every freIght car He Hedetermmes Hedetermines determmes determines theIr fate and watches solIcItously over theIr contents espe- espe especially especially - - cially .f f if ! . they con contain tam rush shipments or perIshable commodities wluch which wluchmust whichmust must be directed to their destmatlon destination Immediately FreIght pickup and delivery anddelivery from such bustlmg bustling pomts points as ChIcago s huge MerchandIse Mart Martconstitutes Martconstitutes constitutes a mammoth task ID in Itself but tle } e dispatcher takes It In IDS his IDSstr hisstride str stride strideAdding Addmg Adding to the dispatcher s duties In a center like Chicago are the thenumerous thenumerous I numerous thetime trams trains from other rail systems whIch use his tracks part of the theI I time changeovers or whIch sWItch freight from their line to his Many of these change changeI I overs are dally daily scheduled occurrences Others happen unexpectedly : : - ' , * a aa a _ _ _ _ s WLT WLTAr w Ar ArN wR wRs N g1 s 3a 3a2s 2s A At t . - - - - - - - . ' _ Snow blocks the tracks or a hot box Is reported . . Immediately the dispatcher sends working crews and equipment to the scene of trouble so that trains may continue to move A few minutes vIsed that later he 15 is ad an Incoming train carries an Invalid Result The sends sendsa a red cap to meet the train dIspatcher armed with a wheel chaIr He truly the IS nerve center of a railroad system a man whose stupendous responsibIlity dwarfs the dut es of law makers and dustry Yet he bves lives captains of in unknown to all but the fellow actrons actions he gu des desi railroaders whose i , - , , . , , M M.e - " - . f .u u . .e e ' " ' " f < t i-v i v ' - fy -y y - " < + < / ivIt . It Iti . ' < - ' " i i iJ /J J . / . , 1t > ! " ' "tf tf " < / y-j y j - ; , f/ f fc / ' : c ' 0 ' ' \ - . " ' - / / ' " t , , " , . , - 1/ 1 / 1t t , : . ; , . * ( < ' \'t 't t \ t't ' . ift : ; i ' tk ' t ' ' " , : I . : : - . : " , . $ , |