For Firemen for Promotion
and New Men for Employment :-:
Copyrighted by W. O. Thompson, March, 1911
Revised January, 1919
* * * * *
=PREFACE=
It is the policy of railroads to employ firemen who will in time become
competent locomotive engineers. This requires that a man should have at
least a common school education, good habits and be in good physical
condition. He should be alert, with good reasoning faculties and a man
of sound judgment. Having these qualifications, advancement will come to
those who are conscientious in discharging their duties and who devote
some of their leisure hours to study.
As an aid to this end, and that the railroad companies may derive the
highest efficiency from the man employed as a locomotive engineman, a
code of questions is given him, and it is expected that the preparation
necessary to correctly answer the questions will indicate how well he
has progressed.
The list of questions is also intended as a guide to the matters on
which he should be correctly informed, both during his term of service
as a fireman and for future promotion to engineer.
When a man is first employed as a fireman he will be given a list of
questions on which he will be examined at the end of the first year;
having passed this examination successfully he will then be given the
examination questions for the following year; having passed this
examination satisfactorily, he will be given a third and final set of
examination questions on which he will be examined before being promoted
to engineer. All these examinations will be both written and oral. The
third year examination for promotion will be before the General Board of
Examiners. At any of these examinations, if he fails to pass 80 per
cent. of the questions asked, another trial, not less than two months
and not more than six months later, will be given him to pass the same
examination; if he fails to pass by a percentage of 80 per cent. he
shall be dropped from the service.
Where the examinations consist of both air brake and machinery, the
candidate must pass 80 per cent. in each to be successful.
Firemen passing the third and final series of questions will be promoted
in the order of their seniority as firemen, except that those who pass
on the first trials shall rank, when promoted, above those who passed on
the second trials.
Engineers employed who have had service on other roads, will be required
to pass the third series of questions before entering the service.
It is not expected that the man will pass these examinations without
assistance, and in order that he will understand the use of locomotive
and air brake appliances properly, he is expected to go to the Master
Mechanic, General Foreman, Road Foreman or Traveling Engineer, also Air
Brake Inspector or Instructor, or any other official, and ask them for
such information as may be required on any of the questions or on any
points in connection with the work. He is not only invited, but also
urged to do this, as the more knowledge of his business a man possesses,
the better will be the results obtained. He will have ample time to
study each set of questions; there is no doubt that with a reasonable
amount of study each week, supplemented with close observation of the
working of the locomotive, the information necessary to answer
satisfactorily the entire list of questions can be easily mastered in
the time given. In regard to breakdowns, it is advised that he carefully
inspect each breakdown or disabled engine that comes to his notice, see
where the parts have given way and in what manner the work of blocking
up it done. It is not expected that all the breakdowns which may happen
to a locomotive will occur on the engine that he is with; therefore it
is good practice to observe how other men care for these breakdowns. In
connection with these examinations the work done by the fireman during
the year and how the work compares with that of other firemen in the
same class of service will be carefully noted; his record as to the use
of coal, supplies and attention to duty will be taken into
consideration.
It is hoped that he will give everything in detail the consideration it
merits and realize fully that it is by looking after the little things
that a man succeeds. It should be borne in mind that by filling well the
position he holds he becomes entitled to the confidence that makes
better positions possible. It is understood that those who conduct the
examination may ask any question or questions bearing on any subject of
this examination, in order to determine how well the persons being
examined understands the subject. A mere memorized answer will not be
sufficient. The full meaning of each answer must be understood.
=EXAMINATION QUESTIONS=