Fusees

Just for kicks, let's discuss fusees. The most common ones I've dealt with are 5-minute or 10-minute red ones. But Canadian roads used to use 10 minute yellow ones, and the C&O, even in the mid 1960's, had green fusees. I've also read about, but never seen, ones from longer ago which changed color - burned red the first 5 minutes, then yellow for 5 more.

In today's world fusees are seldom left burning to protect against following trains because of radios, and also less often used for passing signals while switching, again because radios are more common. So there is probably little demand for exotic colors, just plain red for highway protection etc. But it used to be common to pass signals for a hitch to an engineer 70 carlengths away using a fusee. If it was the final double to your train, once the hitch was complete you'd throw the fusee as high up in the air as you could, it would come down and go out and the engineer would know you were airing them up and had no further move at that time.

Anybody have anything to add?

I've seen Road Foremen use them for compliance checks. They leave them and watch to make sure that trains slow to Restricted Speed for one mile from where fusee was passed.

On a related topic - Does anyone still use Torpedoes?

It has been many years since I have seen (or heard) one. It was Rule 15 in most Operating Rules and that rule has been deleted from any recent versions of NORAC.

I don't think any Class Is still use torpedos. Damn, I used to have a lot of fun with those things, too. Still got a few stashed away for the right opportunity.

Torpedos had about 1001 uses, about one or two of which were officially sanctioned! For instance sometimes a road crew would have work at a yard in the wee hours of the morning. This might require the yard engine to get in the clear so the road crew could work. A torpedo could be placed under one of the road train's "through" cars out on the main. The yard crew (and even yardmaster) could grab a "safety nap", and when the road crew finally started out of town the "bang" would rouse the locals to resume their chores.

The CP SD40-2 used to come down to Fresh Pond Jct. with them in Queens, NY. They were a good tool to brake in the green brakeman with. Now I am forced to purchase my own Class
a explosives.

travelinjack wrote:I've seen Road Foremen use them for compliance checks. They leave them and watch to make sure that trains slow to Restricted Speed for one mile from where fusee was passed.

Just remember that if you're ever on the B&A with the Lake Shore you don't have to come to a complete stop when you encounter an unattended fusee, just proceed at Restricted Speed for 10 minutes.

I too miss torpedoes, they always did startle newbies. As for yellow fusees, I never heard of where they were used, but did find one in a foreign locomotive once.

I set a plastic road barricade, then my boot on fire with a fusee while guarding a crossing on an industry job. My foreman was laughing so hard I didn't think we were going to be able to finish the night's work.

LOL! The way nicknames are used on the railroad, it's amazing you're not known as "Hotfoot" till the day you retire.

Fusees, I also keep a couple in my back pocket for personal protection when I am working along a couple of "jungles' along one of our yards.

As for torpedoes, One day during a memorial service for a much beloved deceased Trainmaster, a bank of torpedoes were set off under the first train to depart the station after operations resumed. It was a fitting send off for a great guy.

When we make a shove at night, I light a fusee and place it on the end platform to imcrease visibility.

Not too long after I hired out (I was still om the track gang) some mechanical guys tried to get me to "practice swinging the maul" by trying to hit this "pebble". That pebble reminded me of the stuff inside the primer cord we used to set off explosives in the oilfield when I worked wireline. I told them my maul skills were just fine.

shortlinerailroader wrote:When we make a shove at night, I light a fusee and place it on the end platform to imcrease visibility.

I used to do that too, but I actually think that the lit fusee reduces my visibility in very dark areas. Also, why choke on the sulphur, LOL.

In the "good ole days." journal boxes came in handy as a perfect area to place fusees. The lid of the boxes had a lip on them that held the fusees in place. This placed the fusee below you as you were hanging on the side ladder, didn't destroy your night vision. You could really light up the night with one placed on each side.

Right on about the journal boxes - sort of like bright red ditch lights.

Back in my yardmaster days an eastbound would sometimes have a large drop to make involving doubling to two tracks. As the tower was at the west end, and the rear end might still be a long ways west, the head end man would place a fusee on the west car of the drop. The yardmaster would watch the fusee and radio the engineer when they had used up all the room on that track - the train would then stop and the head man, who had remained at the east end, would make a cut.

One night after making this move I glanced out several minutes later and it appeared the fusee, although dying, still had some life. Using the binoculars, it turned out the west car was tank car with a wooden running board (this was about 1976 or so) and the fusee had been set on the wood - setting it on fire. The kicker was it was a car of aviation fuel! A quick call to the car knockers shanty sent him out with a bucket of water which solved the problem.

BR&P wrote:Right on about the journal boxes - sort of like bright red ditch lights.

Back in my yardmaster days an eastbound would sometimes have a large drop to make involving doubling to two tracks. As the tower was at the west end, and the rear end might still be a long ways west, the head end man would place a fusee on the west car of the drop. The yardmaster would watch the fusee and radio the engineer when they had used up all the room on that track - the train would then stop and the head man, who had remained at the east end, would make a cut.

One night after making this move I glanced out several minutes later and it appeared the fusee, although dying, still had some life. Using the binoculars, it turned out the west car was tank car with a wooden running board (this was about 1976 or so) and the fusee had been set on the wood - setting it on fire. The kicker was it was a car of aviation fuel! A quick call to the car knockers shanty sent him out with a bucket of water which solved the problem.

I had forgotten about the wooden running boards. Maybe the memory is the first thing to go.