HISTORY HUNTS WAREHOUSE: Railroad "X in Box" Dictionary & More

I had found one of my old pictures taken in 2005 of an engine crossing Old MS 27 above Monticello, MS. I asked Virgil about the Bogalusa paper mill and the engine. Of course he knew someone that could answer my questions.

Hello Steve, got a reply from Charlie on Bogalusa. I believe the paper mill was owned by Crown Zellerbach when I first moved over to the Northshore back in the 1980's. Now it's International Paper.

As you can see, the train runs daily, not a couple times a week. I was wrong.

Note there are "yard jobs" at the mill. I'll have to clarify that, but I suspect the mill has its own engine(s) that make up a train and have it ready for the CN engines when they come in.

From Charlie, the expert on the Bogalusa Branch to Virgil, an expert on who to ask:

Virgil

Thank you for sending the info on Steve's blog. I enjoyed looking at the great photographs.

I have probably picked crews up at every crossing between Bogalusa and Wanilla in the past 25 years and have covered every inch between Slidell and Jackson on a motorcar with my dad. He was the telephone lineman for the GM&O at Bogalusa. The depot at Foxworth sat on the west side of the track about where the little building is close to the track. Back in the GM&O days, Foxworth was known as West Columbia.

I had mentioned the wreck below Red Bluff, off of MS 587, north of Morgantown.
Charlie comments:

The chip hoppers where the wreck was between Morgantown and White Bluff is not the hoppers involved in the accident. The GM&O picked everything up after they got the 613 out of the river. The ICG dumped some hoppers there back in the '70's to help fight erosion.

Charlie

Next is about my whereabouts when the train picture was taken. Again, from Charlie:

Virgil

Steve was at Wanilla on the old MSC. The train is headed west en route to Jackson from Ferguson.

I picked a crew up there a few weeks ago.The engineer appears to be Bill M. who has since retired. The IC and CN restricts six axle power on the Bogalusa District due to poor track conditions. The GM&O ran SD40's on the south end up until about 1969 when they were restricted due to all the bridges, small rail, and sharp curves. They were sent north for coal train service. The north end had bigger rail too. I remember seeing three brand new SD40's come into Bogalusa in 1966. Concerning chips at Bogalusa, IP will continue to receive chips by truck. The new chipper will be able to chip whole logs. With the old chipper, the logs have to be cut in half. Also a humongus crain is being installed to handle the logs. It will be something to see when the operation begins.

Charlie

From a later note:

The paper mill at Bogalusa is now owned by International Paper. They are in the process of putting in a state of the art chipper and rumor has it that they will only receive logs for chipping and no longer receive chips. I hope that logs will be received by rail too.

The Bogalusa/Ferguson Turn (L579) runs daily.

Twenty five to thirty loads a day would be considered a good train although the count on some days is a lot lower than this. They are using a lot of Hi-Cube boxes but trucks still haul a tremendous amount of paper too.

The other morning they turn left Ferguson with 48 cars while just a few days before it came back in with lite engines after having spotted empty center beam flats at Monticello Hardwood and Miles lumber.

These are the only shippers on the line besides I P. Marion County Coop may receive fertilizer and seeds but this is seasonal.

Two yard jobs a7am and 7pm job serve the mill.

Charlie

A contributor on LRMRG posted these links. Thought you might appreciate them, as a few of them kind of mesh with some of your interests.

Regards

Great! Check those links again... one is a 1922 or so map of BR. I downloaded the full size image of the map, & zoomed in on it,  and lo, and behold! The railroad by the river shows a switch with an "incline" towards the river... probably ferry access for the railroad. Old maps are a treasure, especially when they have such details of things long gone.  Thanks for the pix of Slidell.

Track warrants come in a book of about 50. They're pre-printed so all you have to do is fill in the appropriate destinations , train id, etc. When the dispatcher says "X in box __" , they mean, put an "X" in the box next to number _". The following is a breakdown of all the boxes as best I can remember (some boxes are never used, so I don't remember what they are).
Box 1: "Void authority number: _____". This box is used when the dispatcher decides to give you a new warrant and void a previous warrant. Most often this is used when the dispatcher wants to give you more authority and doesn't want or need you to release behind you.
Box 2: "Proceed from ___ to ____ on the ____ track". This allows single direction movement in one direction.When you hear this box it means that a train id in the track warrant will either have East or West following it (AMTK 188 West). We always put main track for the track because BNSF gives permission to occupy sidings without needing warrants.
Box 3: "Clear at last named point". Used for Box 2 trains when the dispatcher wants you to take the siding to meet another train.
Box 4: "Work between ___ and ___ on ___ track". This allows movement in either direction between named points. This is helpful when you have to switch customers that take little time and you will be going right back to the yard. Trains with a Box 4 won't have a direction after their ID number (BNSF 3111). This can only be given if no there are no trains with Box 2 authority within the limits. If a train has a Box 2 through the limits, you have to wait for them to clear your desired limits and get them to "roll up" or give the dispatcher a partial release from their warrant. (After job briefing between Engineer Breaux and Conductor Trahan on the LDRR 1708 West, using track warrant 827-145, we would like to report our entire train clear of MP 127 at your time by Engineer Breaux).
Box 5: "Authority in effect after the arrival of ___ at ___". Means you have to wait for a train to arrive before you can proceed with your warrant. First blank will have a train id in it. The second blank will have a location. Box 5s are nice, because you don't have to wait for the dispatcher to get a release and give you a warrant after the guy gets past you which can take a while.
Box 6: "Authority in effect behind". I've never copied this box because usually the dispatcher tells us, "I'm giving you a warrant to follow 2 Westbounders". Anyway, the idea is that this is like a Box 5 except you follow someone instead of waiting on someone coming from the opposite direction.
Box 7: There is no box 7 on BNSF track warrants.
Box 8: "Joint authority between __ and ___. Note: All trains must move at restricted speed". This is when a dispatcher gives a Box 4 to multiple trains within the same limits. This box states only that you have joint authority and what limits are "joint". Given to all trains within the joint limits. While within those limits, trains must move at restricted speed. Restricted speed in a nutshell is moving at a speed that allows stopping within half the range of vision, not to exceed 20 mph. So, if I can see for a mile, I need to travel at a speed that allows stopping within half a mile, not to exceed 20 mph.
Box 9: "Joint Authority with ____". Given to the second train with the Box 8, this box states who else is going to be occupying your box 8 limits. It's the responsibility of the second crew to contact the first crew and job brief to determine where everybody is and how work will be accomplished safely and efficiently.
Box 10 and 11: We never use these, so I have no clue what they are without having a warrant in front of me. I think one of them says something like "Clear by ___" meaning you would have to be clear by a certain time instead of when you're done with your work like we do now.
Box 13: "Permission to leave the following switch in the reverse position ___". This box comes after box 12, but it makes box 12 less confusing if we explain box 13 first. Box 13 is when a train enters a siding or the yard and has to line a switch to go in to said siding or yard. If the train is long enough, the dispatcher will allow the crew to leave the switch lined for "other than main line movement". We rarely get box 13s at L&D because we usually have short trains.
Box 12: "Be prepared to stop at the following switch until known to be in the normal position _____". When trains get a box 13, they leave the switch lined behind them. This box is given to any trains that have authority over that switch later so that they are aware that they have stop and line it for the main line. Once a train has lined (or normaled) the switch back, they contact the dispatcher and report it (Conductor Breaux on the LDRR 1500, would like to report that the West siding switch Cade has been lined and verified for normal position).
Box 14: "________": This box is left empty and would be filled in for any unusual operating conditions.
I'm sure you are aware that we have to spell out directions and numbers (West, W-E-S-T and Two T-W-O) and all that. I also wanted shed some light on one of the pictures you posted about the ADKN. The train crewman wasn't going to get something out of the refrigerator, he was going get something "off the fire". Near the rear of the locomotive is the cooling water tank. The water pumps take water from the tank and pump it through the engine and return it to the tank. The water gets pretty hot running through the engine and after about ten minutes of operation, the tank temperature is about 150 degrees. So, when we have food we want to heat up, we put it on the water tank where after and hour or two, it's ready to eat.
~JBB

I found this as a private entry in my guest book:

When I began my time with the SPRR, in 1955 there was the SP main track on the north side of Jeanerette. The Albnia spur was on the north side. There was a water tank for watering the engines hence the pond to the south. In the late 50's the SP depot burned and I WAS on the first train to arrive and was delayed several hours while the old building burned. It was a sad site to see......bill

I wrote back:
Your information fills in several blanks I had. Jacques had said that the woods by the tank was a hobo jungle. Ever see any? Sad site at the depot, no doubt. Well that answers that question. I know the old Baldwin Depot has been moved to Patoutville. Did you ever run out to Weeks Island? or even Patoutville? And Bill, once I get my thoughts together, I can come up with many questions. If you get tired of the harassment, just let me know.

Lamar's replies:
Yes to both your questions. When I worked on the locals nos. 55 & 56, we would switch Patoutville on No. 55. Did you know that the Patoutville sugar mill was originally serviced from the Franklin and Abbeville branch that ran out of Franklin to Youngsville, Milton and Elks?

The F&A came in from what we call the back side of the mill, the portion of the Patoutville spur from the SP side was laid after I hired out. I only worked on the Weeks branch for a few days waaay back. It was part of my district aftrer I became a train master, H/Qs in Morgan City. The Weeks line (salt mine) originally ended at Cypermort and Weeks salt mine ran their own train down to Cypemort and interchanged with the SP there...

I think the F&A also ran to South Bend (La.317 below Centerville) and North Bend which is now on the Bayou Sale spur. The SP connection was added from what is MP 3 to Bayou Sale when the F&A was bought by the SP. The reason that I think that is that I HAVE AN OLD TIME TABLE that says that South Bend is at MP 12 and it (North Bend) is at present day MP 4.