Most of the Southern roads have double daily passenger service.  Upon all roads one of these trains, upon the day of change, was abandoned, and upon some all.  Some, even, did not run till next day.

We were able to start the day trains out by 10 or 11 o’clock A.M., and put them through in fair time.  Of course, no freights were run that day, and the next day was used in getting the cars which had been changed out of the parks and into line.  So our freight traffic over the entire South was suspended practically three days.

The work of changing was to commence at 3:30 A.M., but many of the men were in position at an earlier hour, and did commence work as soon as the last train was over, or an hour or so before the fixed time.  Half-past three A.M., however, can be set down as the general hour of commencement.

For five or six hours in the cool morning the work went on briskly, the men working with much more than ordinary enthusiasm.  But the day was warm, and after 9 or 10 A.M. it began to lag.  All was done, however, before the day was over, and safe, so that trains could pass at full speed.

The men all received $1.50 for the work, whether it was finished early or late in the day, and were paid that afternoon as soon as the work was done.  Tickets were given the men, which the nearest agent paid, remitting as cash to the treasurer.

On some lines it was deemed best to offer prizes to those who got through first.

Reports showed some very early finishes.  But the facts seem to have been that under such encouragement the men were apt to pull too many spikes before the change and put too few in while changing.  They were thus reported through early, but their work was not done, and they took great chances.

It was by most considered unwise to offer such prizes, preferring to have a little more time taken and be sure that all was safe.  Such lines seemed to get their trains in motion with as much promptness as others.  This, with freedom from accident, was the end sought.

It was found after the work had been done that there had been little inaccuracies in driving the gauge spike, to which the rail was thrown, probably from various causes.  The rail to be moved may not always have been exactly in its proper place, and then the template in the hurry may not have been accurately placed, or the spike may have turned or twisted.

Whatever was the cause, it was found that frequently the line on the moved side was not perfect, and, of course, many spikes had to be drawn and the rail lined up and respiked.  The more careful the work had been done, the less of this there was to do afterward.  With rough track this was least seen.  The nearer perfect, the more noticeable it was.

Of course, we all planned to get foreign cars home and have ours sent to us.  But when the interchange stopped, we found we had many foreign cars, which, of course, had to be changed.  This subject had come up in convention and it had been voted to charge three dollars per car when axles did not need turning, and five dollars where they did.  By comparison with the cost of changing, as shown in this paper, it will be seen that to our company, at least, there was no loss at these figures.