Does any one know how to join the Operating engineers local union #3?

The comparison between early railroad engineers and today's IT engineers.

• I have just completed reading The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage. I was struck by the comparison of the telegraph operator to the information systems engineer. In the first 10 to 15 years of the telegraph’s proliferation (1840s to 1850s), the telegraph operator was seen as a person of high skill in a high tech industry, and was in high demand. The operator was seen as instrumental towards operating and maintaining the technology. After the establishment of the telegraph in daily and business life, say around 1860 or so, the attention turned toward cutting cost and automating processes. Just for fun, let us create a timeline for thoughtful analysis. The Magnetic Telegraph Company took over Morse’s experimental line in 1845 to start the commercialization of the telegraph. It soon came to dominate business life, but this would not have been possible if it was not a private for profit venture (see what happened in Britain and France). Therefore, I am going to start my time line on the Telegraph at 1845. Let us say that the true start of the information revolution was when the graphical user interface made it’s way into the hands of people and businesses. This was in 1992, when IBM released OS/2 Version 2.0, and Microsoft introduced Windows 3.1. All subsequent developments that are used in businesses (the web, the spreadsheet, the word processor) basically rely on the graphical user interface, so I am starting there. Laying the development of the telegraph against the development of the information technology, year by year, Western Unions monopoly entry in 1871 would correlate to 2018 in the information technology industry. From that point on, the telegraph operator had been reduced to a minimum paying, button pushing job. The crest of the operator field, when they were considered owners of high tech knowledge and skill, was probably around 1856 or so, when Western Union began buying up smaller outfits and standardizing the technology. This would correspond to 2003. I would not be the slightest bit surprised if the first decade does not see the consolidation of the IT service industry, and the standardization of practices and methods. I have a two part question: First, I would like to know whether or not there is a similar comparison between the railroad engineers (in the first two or three decades of railroading) and information systems engineers. Second, if there is, I would like as much detail on this as you can provide. You can reach me by email at [email protected]. Thank you, jwg.

• Answer:

  JWG – First, thanks for the interesting question! Knowing that you're familiar with IT engineering, I'll dwell on defining the roles of a train crew and how railroad technology changed how business was conducted in the 19th Century. There's a rich literature on railroads and modern business, as you'll see from the resources below. STEAM ENGINE CREWS ------------------- The first 100 years of railroading were dominated by steam engines, which were supplanted by diesel engines in the industrial countries only after World War II. The train's engineer was part of team of specialized employees on the train, backed by specialists at the station and in the yards. In this respect, the operation of a locomotive was initially as specialized as an IT project. As processes were automated on the train, jobs were eliminated progressively, resulting in years of battles with railroad unions over what management considered 'featherbedding.' One of the most visible examples is that the caboose has finally disappeared from trains, along with the rear brakeman or flagman who manned it. ENGINEER – supervisory control of train operation, especially while in motion FIREMAN – responsible for firing the engine with fuel; keeping the steam levels adequate; recharging water levels. On older coal or wood-fired boilers, a stoker or the brakeman may assist the fireman BRAKEMAN – braking operation of individual cars as well as entire train; tail end brakeman or flag was in the caboose and responsible for monitoring condition of rails and signals PASSENGER STAFF – porters, conductors, stewards, chefs, baggage handlers STATION STAFF – dispatchers, ticket agents, baggage/freight handlers YARD STAFF – linemen, signalmen, switchmen, oilers LINE STAFF – construction engineer, gang boss or foreman, laborers COMPANY STAFF – accounting, payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, safety inspectors For an overview of historical information about the operation of steam engines and railroad workers, Canada Museum of Science and Technology "Background Information for Trains" (2002) http://www.science-tech.nmstc.ca/english/schoolzone/Info_Trains.cfm#crew For a modern look at train crews and the limited role of the "train driver," the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook gives up-to-date requirements: U.S. Department of Labor "Rail Transportation Occupations" http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos244.htm The most-direct comparisons with the transportation employees could be computer support specialists (as opposed to software engineers, responsible for building new computer infrastructure). The BLS describes these occupations as well: U.S. Department of Labor "Computer Support Specialists and Systems Administrators" http://www.bls.gov/oco/pdf/ocos268.pdf RAILROADS AND MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE ----------------------------------- Building out the railroad structure occurred in a similar fashion to computer technology, though it took about 65 years for U.S. and U.K. rail structures to reach "saturation." You may find it interesting to compare the building of computer or network infrastructure with the rate at which railroads built infrastructure. Below are track miles for the U.K., which was the first country to fully exploit the railroad: 1825: 26 miles 1844: 2,236 1850: 6,635 1860: 10,410 1870: 15,320 1880: 18,935 1890: 20,073 1900: 21,855 1920: 23,387 1933: 20,251 Source: Encyclopedia Britannica And just as the Internet and networking have dramatically changed the usefulness of computers, the telegraph is closely related to better utilization of railroads. The telegraph permitted active management of railroad resources at a distance and simultaneous scheduling of a single line for multiple trains. You might even say it enabled "multi-tasking!" For all of its advantages, the telegraph was simply one communications technology. Like earlu network technologies such as Arcnet, the telegraph went through its own period of growth, speculation, consolidation and decline: Economic History Encyclopedia "History of the U.S. Telegraph Industry" http://www.eh.net/encyclopedia/nonnenmacher.industry.telegraphic.us.php Prior to the establishment of railroads, businesses had been primarily local enterprises. Even where they covered larger geographies, such as in shipping, it was not necessary to coordinate activities simultaneously. Just as computers and networks have done, railroads compressed time scales and required coordination across time zones. The changes brought about included new management structures; specialized job definitions; new cost accounting procedures; new financial and pricing practices. Many of the changes are detailed in a series of three articles by Keith Poole, with the most-dramatic being the page on corporate structure: Prof. Keith Poole, University of Houston "Railroads, The First Big Business" http://voteview.uh.edu/railroad.htm "Corporate Structure" http://voteview.uh.edu/rtopic4c.htm Probably the most-popular book on railroads and their impact on business is Alfred Chandler's, "The Visible Hand," Harvard University Press, 1977. Chandler's work, which won a Pulitzer, makes a number of arguments that may flavor how you look at IT and its professions: * once established, management becomes its own source of power and growth * management hierarchies become increasingly technical and professional * professionals are not entrepreneurs or speculators and prefer stability to risk * as businesses dominate sectors of the economy, they change the structure of the economy A good synopsis of 'The Visible Hand' is on the Economic History site as well: Economic History Project "Significant Works in 20th Century Economic History" (Feb. 12, 2001) http://www.eh.net/bookreviews/library/landes.shtml For more sources on railroad and business history, Richard Jensen of the UIC has this excellent bibliography online: Prof. Richard Jensen, University of Illinois-Chicago "Railroad History" (Dec. 3, 2002) http://tigger.uic.edu/~rjensen/railroad.htm Google search strategy: railroads + "business history" "train crew" + "steam engine" "railroad engineer" + computer Best regards, Omnivorous-GA