In the mid-70s I recall an EJ&E engineman's request to Barrington (IL) Tower to use the C&NW interchange track to run on to get closer to a restaurant the crew had chosen. The Op approved the move and set up the route. The engineman thanked the Op and added that he "didn't know if they could do that". The Op replied, "Well who's going to stop you?"
Hardocaler, it is just a question of practice, the brain will know what to pick up and what to ignore. I can tell you my first weeks on the Air Traffic frequency (English is not my native language) were a nightmare, but I can tell you with practice I was able to monitor 3 frequencies (mine and the 2 adjacent sector ones - the guys that will handover planes to me) and two open mike phones at the same time. My instructor told me at the beginning, I really could not believe I could manage. If you work at a small airport you will even recognize the voices of the pilots, which is another telltale, in this case I think the crews recognize the voices they need to listen to (eg. the DS, or their YM).
That's interesting minesweeper. When I read your post, I remembered a conversation I had with the Operator in Barrington tower. I asked him how he was able decide to give a signal or not to approaching EJ&E trains. He said he knew the crews well and his decisions depended on where the train was and who was making the request. Slow runners were often denied a signal if a C&NW commuter train was due, but he also knew the fast runners who'd "pour on the coal" and always make good on their promise to clear the plant.
Wonderful. During my 50 year career I saw, and really appreciated the difference between the "gotcha covered", and the "Oh, I'm not sure I should" types. Funny how every discipline has the same people in critical positions, many who had been hired by mistake. I fired a few, but not enough.
Wonder that same dim or not thing. Wife always ask can't they dim? Now I have a real answer for her. Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk
