As ATM at Salinas I can remember showing up at King City one day and a young inexperienced dispatcher had lined up a meet there with betweeen east and west manifests, having "forgotten" that the King City Local was already there with its substantial train of reefers on the siding. I called the west man on the radio and asked him to stop clear of the east switch. As was typical of the good old days, the crews knew what to do and cleared enough track space so the two manifests could get past each other with minimum hassel. No big deal, but typical of the old days on the Coast. Busy railroad, good people, and lots of cooperation. I was lucky to have worked when I worked, and to have retired when I retired.

JBWX