Caption:

The ubiquitous Telegrapher's Bay

a k a Operator's desk

at CP Rail G U , Guelph Junction, June 8, 1986 Kodachrome by S.Danko

Noteworthy equipment & features

for the benefit of those who maybe unfamiliar with The Eighties (& prior)

and to remind some of us as to what was !,

from right to left:

extreme right is radio equipment receivers / transmitter boxes, radio microphone,

analogue paper punch, analogue paper stapler, cigarette / cigar ashtray, small bottle paper white out,

at centre top east - west track occupancy circuit indicator boxes, immediately below is an analogue radio speaker,

hanging in front of the windows are completed train orders / train operational instructions forms – to be assembled as appropriate depending on the train direction and bound together by elastic / string prior to attachment to the train order hoop(s),

left side of desk is an analogue intercom / wire line bell telephone with microphone,

at top left is the east – west station signal indicator levers,

at centre extreme left is an analogue combined keyboard & printer device – paper is inserted at the top of the device and rolled manually into the device by means of manually operated roller with handle turn knobs at each extreme end , the Operator would then manual press the appropriate QWERTY keys to record on the paper the required instructional information,

and at top left is an analogue pencil sharpener, insert the pencil and turn the crank at an appropriate RPM.

did I miss anything?

What's interesting: The NASA STS-1 a k a the Space Shuttle, first flight: April 12, 1981.

Cheers !

sdfourty