Prototype Waybills

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
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Andy Laurent and I are continuing our series on prototype waybills, and I thought they might be of interest to some members of this forum. The series is based on the Ahnapee & Western waybill collection, which recorded all shipments terminating on that line in the early 1960s. Andy is the curator of the collection, and I have been working with him to produce the information in a format that we hope is useful to the prototype modeler. We discuss the waybill itself, the shipper, the consignee, the freight car involved in the shipment, and the commodity flow. Those interested can find the most recent post here:

http://cnwmodeling.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-prototype-waybill-26.html

and the other waybill discussions in the series can be accessed using the “waybill” tag.

Regards,

Charles Hostetler

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Interesting waybill example…

What most operators don’t understand on the PRR and C&O we never used waybills to switch or spot cars at industries…We used a switch list.This single piece of paper was so much easier to handle.When finish fold or roll and return to pocket.You see all I was concern with was the car’s initials and number.

The conductor would leave the waybill(s) in a rural type mailbox at the receiving industry…

The switch list would read:

Williams Mfg @ MP 223

S/O PRR 34566,34990,35132.

Special instructions: Spot at doors 3,5 & 7…

P/O The car(s) initial and number or None or No.

As a brakeman that’s all I needed to know.