as mentioned in the post about spare knuckles, poling was a no-no for decades but it came in handy once for me. we tried to “drop” a car into a track and it rolled back on us, fouling the switch and trapping the engine. we tried to swipe a length of heavy chain from the car shop nearby so we could pull it into the clear but all we could come up with was a hardwood 4x4 about 10 or 12 feet long. we got lucky and it worked but that was the only time in my life i was ever involved in such a stunt. railroaders would try anything back then in order to get an early quit.
Nice to see that you’re still with us after that “stunt” Griz. I guess that poling was more practical (not less dangerous) back when the cars were smaller and lighter and made of wood.
There was reference in the other thread about poling being “outlawed”. Was it actually banned by government regulation? I suspect it simply faded away as an operating practice. Individual railroads may have banned poling in their own operating instructions.
The locations and freight business that created situations where poling was used have essentially vanished from the railroad scene. Today the safety folks would be appalled at the thought of such a practice, but probably are mostly unaware of even the possibility. The newer generation in the running trades might have lost the knowledge too.
I do believe the practice was banned because of the danger involved but I have heard of instances in which it was used as late as 1998. The ‘poles’, timbers about 8’ long usually could and would splinter and/or shatter explosively.
Today the safety folks would be appalled at the thought of such a practice, but probably are mostly unaware of even the possibility. The newer generation in the running trades might have lost the knowledge too.
John
DSO17writes:
About 10 years ago a group of employees at a large locomotive shop on a class one RR were wondering what the poling pocket was on a GP7. When an old timer told them about poling cars they walked away in disbelief. The class one will remain nameless.
just because a practice is outlawed or frowned upon by management or other authorities did not mean that you would be fired or get locked up for doing it. shortcuts seemed to be ok just as long as they benefited the railroad company and not just the hired help. things changed slowly on some railroads and sometimes things made no sense at all. like the running board and ladder thing. most of the guys i worked with wouldn’t get up on top of a car unless something was chasing them.
one major function of front line supervision was to ok the bending of the rules when it was expedient to do so. just ask any old head trainmaster or such. of course, i worked mostly second and third trick on the Big Four and if i needed more authority than that of a yardmaster, i had to get somebody out of bed. things changed in 1968. i think the PRR bosses were mostly from Transylvania since they were always out weed-weaseling in the dark.
for instance, we used to “adjust” shifted loads of poles by kicking the car down against a standing cut of cars at increasingly higher speeds until they shifted back where they belonged. or self unloaded if we were a little too enthusiastic. can you say “oops”?
i am sure a litlle undercover poling happed everywhere at one time or another just like dutch drops etc.
The “approved” method of moving a car on a adjacent track was with a chain that was attach to the couplers…
However…
In my 9 1/2 years as a brakeman I recall doing this once after a empty boxcar rolled just enough to foul the switch after a failed “flying switch” move…We had to request a carman since we didn’t have a chain…We fouled the main for IIRC for 2 or 3 hours…
Like all practices that get “banned” or “outlawed”, I am sure there are some who have/would/could use the practice when it seems nothing else will work, even today. Just because it is banned doesn’t mean some {knucklehead} won’t use it. The difference is that in the days of steam the locos/cars had the dimple that ideally would have held the pole in place better.
Back in the 1960s you would still see some freight cars and locomotives (mostly switchers) that still had their poling pockets in the corners. Those are now relegated to rail museums and perhaps some very aged MOW cars.
Going back into the dark ages, MR once published a plan for a 1916-built poling car. Think short, heavy transfer caboose with a swinging pole anchored at the car center, turned with something like a vertical brake wheel and with the flying end controlled vertically with a sloped block and tackle.
The accompanying track plan showed a simple lead with a switchless parallel track on the field side. The poling car rode that track, and apparently launched individual cars into the body tracks with riding brakemen aboard. There were running boards (rather like loco-front footboards) the full length of both sides, so my guess is that the car riders rotated, and then tried to get warm around the stove in the poling car’s miniature shelter.
Back in the '60’s when I was working at an Alfalfa Dehydrating and Pelleting mill, we had a pole with a shoe on the end of it that fit up against a wheel on a car. It was on a pivot so when you pulled down on the pole it raised the shoe and you could move the car this way. Didn’t want to have to move one very far though. Mainly used to line the car up with the auger or move to fill the next compartment.
The gadget you’ve described is a manual railcar mover. The kind of pole being discussed is a solid timber cylinder about 8-10 feet long, placed between a locomotive and a car to be moved when coupling is impossible. To get an idea of size, I’ve been told that railroad ties have been used as impromptu poles. (I was also told that using such an impromptu pole resulted in mangling the steps on the switcher that was involved.)
Interesting reading, guys. I do love reading those “real life” experiences. I’ll bet there are equivalent stories for just about any line of work. [tup]
As far as I know, the practice of poling was never outlawed, although some roads may have had rules against it. The picture below was taken in the mid-'80s, and most, if not all, of the road’s switchers were thus equipped.
