I'm late reading this but dag, what a great story and what a great
experience for a young boy. Thanks for sharing. 73 de John ks4xn


wrote in message
ups.com...
Falky foo posted:

"slight pause after the dashes & using context"

Precisely, just as how the traditional telegraph clickers were used to
communicate.

I learned to read traditional Morse courtesy of the Pennsylvania
Railroad at the ripe old age of 6, well before I developed any level
of competence in reading the printed word. IIRC, it took only about 2
or 3 weeks of exposure before I could print every character being sent
though their telegraph line. (My grandad was retired from the PRR, but
on several days a week he would walk down to the BO shack, an
interlocking and route control station in Bordentown, NJ, to play
poker, while hauling me along.

It didn't take very long before one of the signalmen decided to turn me
from a liability into an asset by teaching me how to copy the language
of the 'clicker', which I dutifully did, printing every character that
came acoss the line very neatly on a pad of paper that the workers
there had provided for this purpose, so the card game could continue
without interruption.

Later, at around age 8, I could operate the BO interlocking all by
myself, setting up the switches and locks for the next oncoming train.
It was great fun, although I had little doubt that one of the card
players was watching over my shoulder the entire time.

IIRC, here's the consist of typical train orders that were received by
telegraph: "1215Z TRN1025 9PASS RT TRENTON JDR SK" and "1411Z TRN1140
XX 21FRT RT DIX RBD SK".

The first message indicates that it's a 9-car passenger train that is
to be routed on the mainline to Trenton, and the latter pertains to a
21-car freight that is to be routed to Fort Dix, NJ. The XX would alert
each location along the route that this train is carrying explosives or
hazardous materials that could present a threat to residents or
communities along the track route were an accident to occur. (The very
worst train classifications are the dreaded "XXX" (extreme explosives,
liquified toxic gas, etc.) and "XXN" (nuclear) designations, which
require local authorities to be contacted prior to the train's passage.


I would respond to each keying "ACK TRN1140 RT DIX JVC SK", then set up
the switch route for the train. (JVC was my grandad's line ident.) If
the train orders contained an XXX or XXN designation, it was time to
interrupt the card game!

The key to reading Morse Code is the timing of the characters, and
their very unique rhthms. Even today, more than 50 years later, I hear
that summary "SK" (end of transmission) as, click, click, click, clack,
click, clack". Similarly, "AR" (over to you) is "click, clack, click,
clack, click". Run either of these two common phrases across your
tongue quickly, and you'll remember that unique sound for the rest of
your life with absolutely no memorization required. Curiously, when you
hear dit-dit-dit-dah-dit-dah or dit-dit-dah-dit-dah, you'll also
automatically recognize what this very different type of sound mean as
well.

SK and kindest regards, Harry C.