1974 MKT Dispatcher's Phone Audio - West, Texas - A Tribute to the Train Order.

Описание: The year was 1974 - Train orders moved trains for decades. We will honor that tradition in this video. A fellow railfan, George Slover, had the presence of mind to record the MKT dispatcher's phone audio at the MKT depot in West, Texas on a cassette tape recorder. Dispatcher's phone audio recording is a unique snapshot in time past for railfans to enjoy "the way it was" on the Katy. An Amtrak train had been rerouted over the MKT. We met the Amtrak train at West, Texas agency.

In 1974 we never imagined the dispatcher's phone at the operator's desk as well as train orders, the caboose and brakemen, even the depot and clerks/operators and agents would ever disappear from the Katy, or any other railroad for that matter. Now, fifty years later, not only are those important positions gone, but we lost the entire MKT railroad.

In this video, train order related images at Waxahachie, Lancaster, Dallas , and near Hillsboro, Texas were added to complement the audio track.

Opening stills were taken inside the MKT depot in Denison, TX Train Dispatcher's office and Waxahachie depot circa 1974. Notice the details, the dispatcher's scissor phone (a foot pedal opened the mic for the train order operator/agent), radios and local CTC switch control on the left side, train order hoops, desk, file with train order pad and lots of other neat detail.

The former MKT mainline from Waxahachie to Hillsboro was removed many years ago.
The Waxahachie depot has been restored.

Dispatcher's phone audio track courtesy George Slover and used by permission.

8mm silent film clip and 35mm slides and prints are from a personal collection.

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