THE WORK OF THE SHUNTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3801, 18 January 1927, Page 8

THE WORK OF THE SHUNTER.

PROBLEMS IN THE GOODS YARD. HUGE GAME OF DRAUGHTS. The farmer who despatches hie produce to the city and the merchant who forwards his merchandise to the country send their goods to the railway goods yard, marked as to their destination, and their responsibility ends There are, of course, little formalities such as the paying of freight charges, to be observed, when a clerk in the goods office courteously takes their money and issues a neat receipt on which is emblazoned N.Z.R. Then, again, there is the business of signing for and taking delivery of the goods. The railway has done its part, and all is well. Few, if any, consignors or consignees worry over their goods during transit and control of these goods between destinations worry them not at all. They know there is a goods manager, and also a traffic manager, who can attend to such details, and undoubtedly these officials are essential. One officer who rarely comes into the limelight, but on whom, nevertheless, falls most of the onus. of attending to the efficient and expeditious despatch -and reception of all tailed freight is the shunter. Unlike that of the time-honoured policeman of the “Pirates of Penzance,” a shunter’s life is not a merry one, for to him the powers that be look to see that goods are not hung up in the railway yard, and. that they are sent off and delivered with as little delay as possible to the department, the consignor, or the consignee.

First, there is the Railway Department, to be considered, and to see that two trains are not used where one will suffice, the shunter must be constantly on the alert.

Mixed up higgledy-piggledy, come freights of all descriptions from all directions, to be sent here, there, and everywhere. A goods train may, for instance, arrive at the Dunedin goods yard from Clinton,' bringing with it trucks for Palmerston, Oamaru, Central Otago, or Timaru, every one of which must be sorted put, to be attached to the first outgoing goods train. This is no light task, -and resembles more than anything a huge game of draughts, in which a false move may mean the loss of much time and money. .In this huge game the shunter takes a pride in making up his train in the fewest moves. There is the order, of the trucks to be watched. Naturally, frpm an economical point of view, a goods-train must be assembled, as far as possible, with the trucks for the furtherest away destination in the foremost section of the rake, with those for the first stop at the end, and here again the shunter’s skill comes into play. He must have at his fingers’ ends the time of departure and destination of every freight train leaving the yard, and know without reference to guide books and timetables how to synchronise the make up and departure of one train with the arrival of another. He must know his tracks, his crossings and his points as a postman knows his round, for on him lies the responsibility for the smooth-working not only of the goods-yard but of the. whole railway freight system of the province. Again, he must see that all trucks are properly loaded so as to prevent possible damage in tunnels and cuttings to overhanging or lofty loads. A doubtful truck is brought to the centre of the yard, where a gauge which is always in readiness, indicates in a moment whether the load is safe or not.. Wool and hay have to be watched most cosely in this respect, and, in the case of an oversized load, are difficult to deal with, as” failure to fit the gauge frequently means the removal, of a whole layer of bales. Damage to freight in transit through improper loading is, of course, a liability of the Railway Department, but to make reasonably sure that such damage does not occur is part of the shunter’s duties, and on him the blame is laid should goods be bumped. by a passing train or the sides of a cutting. 'The shunter welcomes fine weather, for in rain, sleet., snow or c6ld his lot is anything but an enviable one. A cold winter night is his bugbear, and with the points levers covered with frost and the ground wet underfoot his job must be carried through just the same. When rain or sleet comes there is every chance of his destination marks becoming obliterated, necessitating a close and time-wasting examination of a small and often not very legibly written ticket. In such a case, the most alert shunter could well be pardoned for a truck arriving at Riverton instead of Riversdale, but it is entirely to the credit of the whole of the shunting staff that such instances are few and far between. And yet, how manv of those who 'annually forward hundreds of tons of freight by rail know what they owe to, the shunter?