train order fork

[Lester Perry]

is this available anywhere that anyone knows of?

[jwb]

There's a guy holding one in this figure set <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/949-6014">http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/949-6014</a><!-- m -->

[Lester Perry]

That is what I am looking for kind of. My grandfather was a telegraph operator and there was a mounted device next to the tracks that he hung orders in and I believe there was a way for the crew to leave messages also. This was like a post with braces and a place for the orders to hang. Now I am remembering this from a child's eyes nearly 50 years ago.

[Ralph]

You're talking about something like the device at the left side of the tower in this pic, right Les?
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.trainweb.org/screamingeagle/other/tuch/45.jpg">http://www.trainweb.org/screamingeagle/ ... uch/45.jpg</a><!-- m -->

[Lester Perry]

Yes, I am not sure of exactly what it looked like but you got it. Do you know what that is / was called?

[BR60103]

I think it was like a small version of an RPO pickup. There would be 2 forks -- high and low. The high one for the loco crew, the lower one for the caboose.

Speculates: the automatic one was probably used in busier locations where the operator couldn't stand around while the train went past.
The fork seems a bit later than the hoop (bamboo stick with a circle at the end). The train crew would pot their arm through the loop, either bamboo or twine, and pick it up. The message would be detached from the hoop and the hoop dropped somewhere down the line for the operator to fetch. If the fork was used, only the loop of twine and the message would be picked up.

[Lester Perry]

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://dslweb.nwnexus.com/tawhite/handon/handingon.htm">http://dslweb.nwnexus.com/tawhite/handon/handingon.htm</a><!-- m --> This is what I am thinking of! Now can I purchase one in HO or do I need to make it? If I knew what to call it I could look in Walthers.