Description

Colorized photo from 1943

Original Title: A dispatcher at work in the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad offices

Location: Marceline, Missouri



This is a train dispatcher, his job is to regulate who gets to go on what track so there are no accidents. The lights on that board indicate what rails are being used. The lights turn on as the train passes by so you can tell the direction its going in.



The clock on the wall over there has mercury a filled pendulum. It needs to be very accurate, and only a clock master is allowed to make the adjustments. It's said that the train system was responsible making the time zones. Before that, everyone used their own times and it was very confusing.