Kettle River Museum
Midway, British Columbia

Gallery Thumbnail Gallery Stories Contact Us Search
 

Along the Line: the Kettle Valley Railway as a Community Link
Location: Kettle Valley Line

 

 

TRANSCRIPT

"The caboose has been vital to the efficiency and safety of the train. The brakeman and conductor of a freight train rode there. The conductor would beep the signal cord in the caboose and the engineer would respond with toots. Although there was an air line emergency cord, the only way for the caboose to communicate with the engineer was by lantern signals. The caboose contained the fuses and torpedoes which were used to signal dangerous conditions to approaching rail traffic.

There was living quarters for three men there, with stove, sink and cupboards. The conductor and tail end brakeman kept their beds made up all the time. The third man made his bed on the lid of the coal bin.

Sometimes messages had to be given to the engineer of passing train. The message was placed in a slot in a light wooden hoop and handed up to the engineer, who caught it on his arm, removed the message and threw out the hoop. 'Handing up the hoop' was a nerve-wracking job, requiring good timing and the courage to stand close to a fast moving train."

 

Print Page

Important Notices  
© 2024 All Rights Reserved