Translating railroad lingo

I’m reading a fictional story by Frank H. Spearman. It takes place around the year 1900 or so. In the story the fastmail is speeding through the western mountains. The verbage in question is:
“… it was simply a case of galloping to a Broadway fire with a Silsby rotary on a 4-11 call.”
Could someone help me with “Broadway fire”, Silsby rotary" and “4-11” in the time- frame of 100 years ago?
Thanks,
Dave Loveless

The image being conjured is not railroad, but rather fire department.

I can’t speak to the term “Broadway fire,” but I’d guess it’s a big one, based on another part of your question.

A Silsby rotary was a steam fire engine. In 1900 it would have been pulled by horses, often a three horse hitch. Oddly, I was looking at pictures of an old Silsby owned by a neighboring fire department last Saturday. Steam fire engines came in two flavors - piston and rotary gear. The piston pump is relatively self explanatory. A rotary gear pump is what the oil pump in your car is.

A “4-11” is a uniquely Chicago Fire Department term. Simply put, it’s a fourth alarm - a really big fire.

So the image is of a steam fire engine being drawn by galloping horses on its way to a really big fire.

Thanks, Larry. I believe you nailed it for me. The word picture for a locomotive racing across the mountains, like a firetruck going to a fire. Now the only question is / was there a “Broadway” in Chicago?

Dave

Major steam fire engines were made by Silsby,Ahrens,LaFrance,Amoskeag,and our own ALCO.4-11 is CFD for a 4 alarm fire.The pump operator on steam fire apparatus was called an engineer,and some departments to this day call them that.Some of the old steamers could actually outpump a modern day pumper in volume.(Fire apparatus is one of my “other” hobbies).

The first image that struck me for “Broadway fire” was along the lines of “the bright lights of Broadway,” ie, NYC. Considering the period, it’s possible that it, too, is local lingo for the Chicago area.

In southern Ohio, a Broadway Fire also refers to a big-time production (lots of yelling, screaming, hands in the air, people running around stuff) multiple alarm affair. When the Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire hit Northern Kentucky, we initially smirked when the call came in as a “Multiple Alarm Broadway Fire”. The smirks quickly faded when the scope of what happened became apparent.

http://www.cincyfiremuseum.com/visit.html

Interesting. [:)]

I learn something new everyday. All you have to do is try. [;)]

Thanks for sharing some new and different. [^]

Boradway can also refer to 4 parrelel rr tracks.

Nice - a historic metaphor for a historic (period-based) novel.

Broadway probably means a multi-track main, but there is indeed a Broadway in Chicago. It runs from 2800 north to 6400 north under our grid system. It isn’t an avenue or a blvd, just plain Broadway.

Anyone keenly interested in rail topics (us!) is not just a hobby fanatic. Railroads are more than just part of history, railroads made history and continue to do so. So we are students of history, not just arcane techies. That is one reason why I follow these threads so eagerly. I learn a wide range of things from you folks out there!

Also many towns of any size would have a main and / or a broadway for a street name so as to add to the impression of size and importance. [2c] The analogy to railroading was that the engineer was running with everything he had, he had nothing held back, wide open as though it was a matter of life and death how fast he got there.

Remember different words mean different meanings in different areas, and railroad lingo has some strange words, switch-turnout-----cabooses have 7 or 8 different words, a lot of past uses have been completely forgotten.

…ah yes, the story of “Jimmy the Wind”…great story - Held for Orders - great book.