It was a small matter to take care of the cars and arrange the train
service so there should be no hitches. It was not expected that
connections would move freight during the 48 hours prior to the
change, and these days were spent in clearing the road of everything,
and taking the cars to the points of rendezvous. All scheduled freight
trains were abandoned on the day prior to the change, and only trains
run _to_ such points.

Upon the East Tennessee system these points were Knoxville, Rome,
Atlanta, Macon, Huntsville, and Memphis, and to these points all cars
must go, loaded or empty, and there they were parked upon the tracks
prepared for the purpose. Passenger trains were run to points where it
had been arranged to change them, generally to the general changing
point.

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.