Phil Wrote:
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> This thread has been so good, it has raised
> questions in my mind.
>
> What sort of training or background is required to
> be a dispatcher?
A lobotomy and a skin grafts are recommended. School teachers are good candidates, too.
> Are all dispatchers at the same location or
> distributed around the system?
Years ago RR's used to have dispatchers all over their system. Santa Fe had them in Fresno and San Bernardino for CA. Espee had them in Los Angeles, Bakersfield, and Roseville. Nowadays dispatchers are centralized. U.P. dispatchers are in Omaha. BNSF Dispatchers are in Ft. Worth, although I'm not sure about the weekday - only Seattle Terminal Dispatcher.
> Where are dispatchers on an organization chart?
Just below janitorial staff.
> What's a dispatcher's shift like?
Like having your gums scraped.
> What determines how much territory a dispatcher
> covers?
The traffic density on the line(s), and the type of signalling. TWC & DTC territory takes more time to dispatch due to issuing track warrants, whereas CTC territory is mostly computer - generated nowadays.