Order Board

Order Board. The Railway Heritage Walkway Tour Stop #8. , Before the days of radio communication, train movement was controlled by a timetable and train order system. Orders were issued by a centralized dispatcher and sent to outlying station operators or agents via telegraph or telephone. The order would be transcribed onto the appropriate form for delivery to the train crew when the train arrived at or passed by the station., To indicate to approaching trains there were orders to be picked up, the operator or agent would set the Order Board - a semaphore signal mounted on a mast by the station or on a nearby gantry. In some cases, the train only needed to slow for the order to be "hooped up" to the crew. Orders included fixing meeting points for opposing trains; directing a train to pass or run ahead of another train; granting rights over an opposing train., [Photo Semaphore inset reads] , Stop [Horizontal] , Receive orders or wait for another train to pass. , Receive Orders [Angled] , Slow. Pick up orders without stopping , Proceed [Vertical] , No orders. Train may proceed, [Photo Legend reads] , ①Order board , ②Telegraph lines