In the early 1960s, the ad agency for a children's cereal mentioned on cartoon shows discovered that if you shake the box, it sounds like the "chugger" in older tinplate model trains. So the song in the television commercials became, "All Aboard the (chocolate flavored puffed cereal) Train, chugga, chugga, chugga"! Thus, a new generation of children was given a false idea of what a tourist railroad employee should yell.

You sure you're not confusing that with Charlie in the animated Good 'N' Plenty commercial? (If you remember THAT one, you're no spring chicken......)

It is my understanding that the phrase "All Aboard!" originally meant "All are aboard." or boarding has been completed. Personal recollection, and I rode quite a few trains in the 1950's and 1960's, was that the Conductor called out "all Board" or just "Booooaaard!", picked up the boarding steps, closed the trap and then signaled the engineer by either two tugs on the communication cord, if there was one, or a hand signal at a "dutch door". I recall more than once where the trap was opened and the step again put on the ground for a latecomer, too. I always thought that the "all Aboard" was more of a signal to the other trainman to pick up steps, shut traps, and close the bottom half of Dutch doors preparatory to departure.

Sandy, you can get this theatric treatment from a couple of MARC conductors on the Brunswick line. It is quite absurd at 5:30am.

Thirdrail, that has always been my understanding as well-hence my usage of it at TVRM. When passengers would ask it we'd call "all aboard" when the train was ready to board, my answer was always this: "You can board anytime you want. If you hear us call "all aboard", you'd better be running for the train as I don't call it until we're ready for immediate departure.

C'mon Ross, this is America!....we no nothing better to complain about everything and do nothing about it.....afterall, most of us are raised Union...so what do you expect?

Shame on you! You should know better than to expect us to accept "tradition" be it fact or fiction.

Customer Service and Public Relations mean little to the camera toating Railfan (and unfortunatly the railroads themselves sometimes)....afterall, we all know how much we pump into these tourist railroads when we spend the afternoon riding in our cars, running to each crossing to take that "incredible shot" all the while, never buying a ticket or 4, We only know to compain when some Dad and his little kid walked into our viewfinders (unstaged and not in period outfits) and blocked that perfect shot so they could watch the train go by and wave, creating the future passenger who will actually pay said operations bills so they can experience "the good old days".....little any of us realize (many do, but little care or want to for that matter), that it's all about those daisy pickers, past, present and future, that we all are able to see and enjoy the rail preservation we do today.

Even with the dedicated individuals who toil, weekdays weeknights and weekends on end to repair, operate and yell "all aboard"....if it not for the average Joe & Sue Smith who wants to hear that so Joey or Susey Jr. is happy, NONE of it would be possible....afterall, where would that money come from...the railfans?

Hmm. So if "All Aboard" wasn't the call to passengers to board immediately...

what *was*?

That's the missing piece of the puzzle, to me.

In larger stations, an announcement over the Public Address system. "Train 13, the "Flying Expletive", to Podunk and East Bumfugged now boarding on track 2" or the like. In smaller stations, you got on the platform when you heard the train arriving and boarded as soon as those getting off were off. No announcement was necessary.

The point that everyone seems to be missing is that in small towns, head end business often would take ten minutes or so. The crew had to load and unload mail, express, and baggage. Passengers liked to chat with their friends on the platform who came down to see them off until time for the train to depart. The "Boooooooooooaaard" call was designed to get these passengers to say goodbye to their friends and get on the train. That was railroading in the old days.

In tourist or museum operation, watch the expressions on the faces of old people when you give the all aboard call. It brings back lots of memories for them. It's authentic.

A couple of thoughts on the subject. We all know the origin of the term "Highball" - a bright red signal ball hoist high on a poll to signal a train to continue on at track speed. This also happens to be what's on my vanity license plate, well, close (HI BALL). Over the past six years or so I've had this on my car I've been asked if I'm a drunk or a bartender (well I was an LSA on Amtrak for 14 years, but not currently); a pool player (don't fully understand the reference, maybe someone here who also shoots pool could enlighten me); or gay (that one almost caused me to come to blows with the person making the accusation).

I get the distinct impression that the vast majority of people in this country have never seen a copy of the Beebe/Clegg book by that name (<G>). Seriously, as a CSX T&E employee, about the only time I have ever heard the term used would be by a dispatcher saying something like, "Highball the pick-up at Wilsmere", meaning skip it. My local BLET chairman thinks I'm more than a little silly for it (could also have something to do with my still being a UTU member! - contrarian that I am). Of course CSX in Baltimore is probably one of the most railfan-employee unfriendly places I've ever been.

As for ways of signaling a passenger train to proceed, the relay of hand signals is something I personally observed and worked with as a fireman/engineer on the railroad at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio. I believe they still use that system to release a train to proceed.

Does anybody else remember the old station announcer at NYC Penn Station who used to end every train announcement with a very enthusiastic "Alllll AboooarRRDD!"? That may have been the last of the old-time, authentic train announcers.

The question posed wasn't whether the use of "All Aboard" and variants is authentic.

The question is *when* is it's use authentic.

"All Aboard" is not a call to begin boarding. It's a call that you're done, so anyone who's tardy better get their bee-hind on the train cause its leaving.

Generally it would be called at the printed public departure time, as the practice was to depart a 5:00 (public time) train at 5:01 (as evidenced by many an employee timetable).

PWW said:
Does anybody else remember the old station announcer at NYC Penn Station who used to end every train announcement with a very enthusiastic "Alllll AboooarRRDD!"? That may have been the last of the old-time, authentic train announcers.

HP says:
Oh, yes I do, and I spent more than a bit of time in Penn Station just listening to him announce trains. His very visible perch was in a glass booth overlooking the west gate of Track 13. His "North Jersey Coast Train" was superb!! When he retired, there was a TV show (60 Minutes? One of the Network evening news shows?) that featured him. I wonder if there is a recording of him-- I'd pay good money for that!

I'm watching "It Happened One Night" (1939) and the bus driver hollered "All ABOARD!" just like the Amtrak crews today.

Excerpted from this link:
http://www.scsra.org/library/rulebook.html
Note the disclaimer, this is only an edit of a Pullman Co. instruction book.

At station stops en route, employees must get out on the ground, place step box in position and be ready to assist passengers. In every case, employees shall make sure that passengers being received are on the right car, on the right train.

Three minutes before departure, employees will announce in a distinct but not loud voice, "All aboard, all visitors off please," throughout the car, making certain visitors who may be in rooms as well as those in the body of the car are advised.

Keep vestibule and trap doors closed and latched while train is in motion. They shall also be closed at stations after "All aboard" signal is given before the train starts and not opened until the train stops. When either in the open or closed position, they shall be latched securely.

This handbook has been adapted from the 1956 version of the Pullman Company's "Instructions to Porters, Attendants, and Bus Boys". It has been edited to apply more effectively to service employees working on today's private cars.

Kevin R. Tam
Private Car "Tallahassee"

Back when this discussion started, I didn't comment, but after observing children at my "home museum" during both "Thomas" and "Santa Train" events, I've decided that "All Aboard" has become part of our culture even in an era when many children have no exposure to "common carrier" train service, and attempting to remove it from museum or tourist "scripts" is a lost cause.