LAL Train Symbols?

[Otto Vondrak]

Occasionally I've seen mention of LAL train symbols, similar to old CR symbols, like WALA, Way Freight Lakeville, etc. Are there actual LAL symbols or are they railfan inventions?

[pablo]

There have been several iterations of train symbols since the day when I worked at the railroad. These iterations were changed from here to there, often since the timetable had conflicts with naming. For instance, going from Falconer to Olean was FOOL, FO (Falconer) OL (Olean), but as the east end of the line was activated, changes had to be made. Additionally, not all were end to end, then you had crews that extended their original reach to serve a customer just out of reach of the original run.

In any case, regardless of what they used to be, they are using consistent terms now.

Additionally, in lines other than the WNYP, I think they have stayed consistent. WACH is the B&H out back back from Cohocton, and WALA is the same from Lakeville.

My timetable is likely long out of date, but I don't know if #5 (the timetable, that is) was ever published. The last bulletin I saw suggested it had not, and that wasn't too long ago.

Dave Becker