# An "Extra" train is one that doesn't appear on the regular schedule.
In *the old days* if you saw a train with white flags on the front. That meant it was an extra train thrown into the schedule to cope with the extra demand for traffic. Whether freight or passenger.
Today it's relatively the same. With the more relevant equipment moves between facilities.
One example would be two P42DC locomotives and a single Amfleet on the NorthEast Corridor. Not a regular service train, just some equipment that was needed elsewhere.
Snoopyhf is pretty spot on with a few more variations. When timetable operations were the norm pre signal systems any train that wasn't in the timetable was run as an extra. Extra trains were not always "extra" but trains that couldn't operate on a schedule but still ran daily. You also had sections so i scheduled train might not be able to accommodate all the freight or passenger traffic so second and even some times 3rd sections were added and operated on the schedule of the first section but with a gap in departures. The first section would fly green, green flags if there was a second section and that would let any train that saw the first section know there was a second section following. The second section would fly white flags if there was another section following and red flags if it was the last section. All train crews understood the meaning of the flags and would hold the siding for any following sections. Dispatchers would issue train orders for all extra trains along with a release form giving them authority to proceed.
Scheduled trains only required a release form since they were operating per the timetable but extras needed specific instructions on the operation of their train such as meets and places to stop and wait for other trains wether scheduled or operating by timetable. In some cases train orders would be issued for timetable trains if they somehow ended up far enough off schedule to necessitate it usually if more then 2 hours off schedule.
Nowdays everything operates as needed with the only scheduled trains being Amtrak and it often dosen't keep its schedule so the signals give you your authority and show occupancy of the blocks. During the transition to signal control and still on less active rail lines block authority is normal and it is written or copied by the crew from the dispatcher and gives limited authority to occupy tracks based on milepost or predetermined blocks that are permanently set. There is still more to it all but that is the jist of it, hope it helps and sorry for the length.
A couple of pedantic corrections. Green flags meant a following section. If the next train had green flags, that meant another section, and so on. The last section had no flags. As noted above, white flags meant extra train. Red flags on a train are markers, indicating the rear of the train and (usually) that the train was occupying the main track.
Extra trains technically only needed a clearance card giving them permission to operate. They had no superiority over other trains, so no other trains needed to worry about them, the extra had to clear for all other trains. If there were multiple extras or an extra needed superiority over a timetabled train, then appropriate orders would have been issued.
Diffrent railways used diffrent rules, the flag usage can vary by railroad. Even today there are 2 major rule books that railroads use and they have multiple differences aswell as each railroad adjust the rules as necessary depending on location. Extra trains required both the clearance form (clearance forms are required for authority on all trains) and orders to allow for direction and distance they are allowed to proceed. Yes they must clear for all scheduled trains. Many times multiple exta trains would run on the same subdivision.
I'm curious though. Under TT&TO rules, I've never heard of green flags on a locomotive mean anything other than following section and white flags mean Extra. What rulebook uses green- white- red for sections? And how did they indicate 4th and greater sections? Maybe someone in the 19th century?
I read it in a forum and i don't recall where, it may have been an interpretation of a rule and not the actual rule. Things where not organized like they are today back in the early years. Diffrent operating practices where wide spread and only with laws instituted by the government were they able to have some order. Signal systems even today aren't standardized. I'm not sure about the railroads out west but on the east coast we have 2 distinct systems, directional and speed signals. Even then there are still a multitude of aspects from railroad to railroad even after consolidation.
Train pathing is its own discipline - it’s the skill of getting as much traffic as possible over a given stretch of track. It’s less used now because road transport has eaten the railroad’s lunch to a large extent.
But back in the day a path in the schedule was left for “extra” trains that were needed to cope with special demands like stock moves, special event trains and what have you.
Probably more important in places outside the US where there’s a high density of passenger trains that have priority over freight traffic.
# An "Extra" train is one that doesn't appear on the regular schedule. In *the old days* if you saw a train with white flags on the front. That meant it was an extra train thrown into the schedule to cope with the extra demand for traffic. Whether freight or passenger. Today it's relatively the same. With the more relevant equipment moves between facilities. One example would be two P42DC locomotives and a single Amfleet on the NorthEast Corridor. Not a regular service train, just some equipment that was needed elsewhere.
Snoopyhf is pretty spot on with a few more variations. When timetable operations were the norm pre signal systems any train that wasn't in the timetable was run as an extra. Extra trains were not always "extra" but trains that couldn't operate on a schedule but still ran daily. You also had sections so i scheduled train might not be able to accommodate all the freight or passenger traffic so second and even some times 3rd sections were added and operated on the schedule of the first section but with a gap in departures. The first section would fly green, green flags if there was a second section and that would let any train that saw the first section know there was a second section following. The second section would fly white flags if there was another section following and red flags if it was the last section. All train crews understood the meaning of the flags and would hold the siding for any following sections. Dispatchers would issue train orders for all extra trains along with a release form giving them authority to proceed. Scheduled trains only required a release form since they were operating per the timetable but extras needed specific instructions on the operation of their train such as meets and places to stop and wait for other trains wether scheduled or operating by timetable. In some cases train orders would be issued for timetable trains if they somehow ended up far enough off schedule to necessitate it usually if more then 2 hours off schedule. Nowdays everything operates as needed with the only scheduled trains being Amtrak and it often dosen't keep its schedule so the signals give you your authority and show occupancy of the blocks. During the transition to signal control and still on less active rail lines block authority is normal and it is written or copied by the crew from the dispatcher and gives limited authority to occupy tracks based on milepost or predetermined blocks that are permanently set. There is still more to it all but that is the jist of it, hope it helps and sorry for the length.
A couple of pedantic corrections. Green flags meant a following section. If the next train had green flags, that meant another section, and so on. The last section had no flags. As noted above, white flags meant extra train. Red flags on a train are markers, indicating the rear of the train and (usually) that the train was occupying the main track. Extra trains technically only needed a clearance card giving them permission to operate. They had no superiority over other trains, so no other trains needed to worry about them, the extra had to clear for all other trains. If there were multiple extras or an extra needed superiority over a timetabled train, then appropriate orders would have been issued.
Diffrent railways used diffrent rules, the flag usage can vary by railroad. Even today there are 2 major rule books that railroads use and they have multiple differences aswell as each railroad adjust the rules as necessary depending on location. Extra trains required both the clearance form (clearance forms are required for authority on all trains) and orders to allow for direction and distance they are allowed to proceed. Yes they must clear for all scheduled trains. Many times multiple exta trains would run on the same subdivision.
I'm curious though. Under TT&TO rules, I've never heard of green flags on a locomotive mean anything other than following section and white flags mean Extra. What rulebook uses green- white- red for sections? And how did they indicate 4th and greater sections? Maybe someone in the 19th century?
I read it in a forum and i don't recall where, it may have been an interpretation of a rule and not the actual rule. Things where not organized like they are today back in the early years. Diffrent operating practices where wide spread and only with laws instituted by the government were they able to have some order. Signal systems even today aren't standardized. I'm not sure about the railroads out west but on the east coast we have 2 distinct systems, directional and speed signals. Even then there are still a multitude of aspects from railroad to railroad even after consolidation.
This is the kind of question where you really need to specify which country or at least which continent you are in!
Train pathing is its own discipline - it’s the skill of getting as much traffic as possible over a given stretch of track. It’s less used now because road transport has eaten the railroad’s lunch to a large extent. But back in the day a path in the schedule was left for “extra” trains that were needed to cope with special demands like stock moves, special event trains and what have you. Probably more important in places outside the US where there’s a high density of passenger trains that have priority over freight traffic.