Item 1: Click for Image

Picture W-5 portrays the El Paso A and B yards. On the upper left hand portion of the picture are East and West mainlines. Locomotive number 60 is on the westbound main track. To the right of the main lines are the A yard tracks and lead track. These are approximately in the center of the picture. Further to the right where the low-top cars are standing are the B yard tracks and B yard lead track. On the extreme right is the ice dock and the ice dock tracks. With yard engines facing the camera in this picture, the switch stands and ground crew are positioned on the engineer's side or right hand side of the locomotive. These switch points can be observed along the lead tracks of the A and B yards in the left center and center background portions of the picture. Signals are ordinarily passed here on the engineer's side. However, you will also note that the tracks all curve in from the lead in both the A and B yards from the fireman's side and only the fireman is in a position to see from the locomotive any movement of cars or other engines on other tracks that may be conflicting with his movement. In addition to keeping a lookout for cars rolling out or other movements from the classification tracks onto the ladder tracks in the A and B yards, the fireman is also essential to observe the interlocking signals. Although these interlocking signals are observable from both sides of the locomotive when the engine is far enough away from them, as the engine approaches, the engineer's view is cut off by the length of the hood of the locomotive or the cars ahead of the locomotive and only the fireman will be in a position to observe such signals.