Milepost numbers count miles from a fixed zero point on each line, usually a terminal at one end of the route, and every signal, switch, detector, slow order and work limit is located by milepost, often to a tenth of a mile. Crews give their position on the radio by milepost, and track bulletins, detector announcements and accident reports all use them. Knowing a territory's mileposts by heart is part of qualifying on it.
We're stopped at MP 287.4 with the rear end around MP 289, conductor's walking back to look at it.
Milepost numbering can restart at subdivision boundaries, so crews pair a milepost with the subdivision name whenever there is room for doubt.
Also heard as
- milepost
- mile post
- post
Related terms
Slow order
A temporary speed restriction on a stretch of track because of its condition, heat or work in progress.
OS
On sheet: a report of the time a train passed a station, or the act of reporting it.
Hot box detector
A trackside scanner that measures bearing temperatures on a passing train and radios a warning if one runs hot.
Track warrant
A written authority from the dispatcher, copied by radio, that lets a train occupy a set stretch of main track.