Train orders were hooped up. There were different styles of hoops. The Missouri Pacific operators used a Y type. A lot of stations had racks to set the hoop in. Those operators who stood by the track and hooped them up had balls!!!
The crew would know that they had to pick up orders by watching for the Train Order signal. Many were of semaphore type with lights for night operating. The Rock Island had some that were just lights. Green meant no orders, red meant you had to pick up orders.
Searched Google and found these.
If a train missed the orders, they would have to stop and walk back to get them.
On the Mopac, into the 1970's, the crews got extra pay if they copied train orders via radio. That extra pay went out the window later on.
Here is the crew of Katy train #105 picking up orders on the fly at Vinita, OK. I took this way back on October 5, 1977. Notice they only had a Train Order signal with just lights.
