I know there are companies that print pads of different train forms for model railroaders. What I’m looking for are Form D’s. Preferably not the current NORAC ones but older ones. Haven’t seen anything online, at least not in the normal places. Can someone point me in a possible direction?
Form D is a creation of Conrail and NORAC as far as I am aware. Perhaps there is an earlier origin. Other versions in use on other railroads are known as Track Warrants and serve essentially the same purpose. Also, there is a book available called “Rights of Trains” by Peter Josserand published by Simmons - Boardman Publishing (www.simmonsboardman.com)) which may help you to understand all the rules concerning train classification and dispatching.
LC
As I understand what Pete Josserand was explaining on page 44-45 of Rights Of Trains, Form D was actually a format for a specific type of train order to be written down and handed over to the train crew on either Standard Form 19 or Standard Form 31. Since my copy of the book is copyright dated 1957, I think it’s safe to say that Form D (and all of the other letter-designated train order formats) predate Conrail. Whether or not the term, “Form D,” predates the original copyright date, 1907, deponent knoweth not, but in the Forward Mr. Josserand identifies 1889 as the first dated attempt to standardize the various Companies’ rulebooks. Certainly the requirement to arrange for one train to pass another proceeding in the same direction arose shortly after the first railroad acquired its second locomotive.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Sigh - it looks like I’ll have to create my own on the computer. Was just hoping to save myself a lot of work to do one if somebody had already done it, you know like Old Line Graphics does for other forms. Thanks all.