Proceedings Volume 1891 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1892 edition. Excerpt: ...the benefit of the gentleman who has just spoken, that various companies now use a catechism. It is my practice, for one. I have a printed catechism which deals particularly with the train rules, the questions being numbered correspondingly with the rules themselves. There are also questions somewhat in the nature of a. problem--" Under certain circumstances what would you do?" That method has been criticised and objected to by some experienced men as leading to the committing of the rules by rote and the answering of these questions in rather school-boy fashion. I do not see the force of that objection. Still, that objection has been made. It will give me pleasure to forward such a catechism as I have prepared and used, to any gentleman who desires to have a copy. Mr. Mccoy: The New York Central have adopted two forms of examination, one for brakemen and the other for conductors; and, as Mr. Myers has said, the questions are on the rules, and the men write out their understanding of these questions on the rules. Mr. Fleming: We had this matter of examination, not only of train employees but of roadway employees, for some time in our system. We have never had any printed questions. As Major Myers suggested, an applicant would get hold of one of those papers and prepare himself with the answers, and he would pass a first-class examination on that paper. We generally raise our own engineers. We take them from the shops. If a man is an apprentice in a machine shop, he serves us four years. He goes out on the road and fires six months. Then he stands an examination by two of our older engineers in the presence of the master of machinery and an old conductor. Questions are propounded to him as to managing an engine under all...