[BluH2o]

As a youngster I grew up in Canada. I’m old enough to remember coal fired steam trains & cabooses. As a kid I was always fascinated when watching station masters stand on the train platform, hold up a pole with a loop on the end, the train engineer would catch it as the train passed the platform by hooking his arm through it. There was a message attached to the hook pole, this was back when the telegraph (dit daa dit daa dit dit) was still being used to communicate between RR stations. No radio communication with the train engineer.

[Stoat]

As a youngster I grew up in Canada. I’m old enough to remember coal fired steam trains & cabooses. As a kid I was always fascinated when watching station masters stand on the train platform, hold up a pole with a loop on the end, the train engineer would catch it as the train passed the platform by hooking his arm through it. There was a message attached to the hook pole, this was back when the telegraph (dit daa dit daa dit dit) was still being used to communicate between RR stations. No radio communication with the train engineer.

Wonderful memories of a gentler time.  Thank you so much for posting  :-)

[tommix2]

I remember traveling by train to Calgary and Edmonton in the winter, going over the bridge at Lethbridge, Alberta. Quite an experience. And I traveled with my parents by train in the early thirties from Denver to New York and back. It was all steam then. And I got to ride in the engine and watch the fireman shovel the coal into the firebox, Had to keep that fire going hot to maintain steam to keep enogh power to pull all the cars behind.

I had forgotten about the pole with the loop for messages that you mentioned. Lots of memories come back.