Richard Hendrickson wrote:

I'n not sure what RRs or time periods Russ is generalizing (over-generalizing?) about here, but in the late 1940s and early 1950s, when I spent a lot of time hanging around the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific in California, every agent, even at small stations, had a current copy of the ORER and used it. I well remember the agent at Oceanside walking the yard every morning, clip board in hand, and consulting the ORER in his office, if he needed to, regarding any of the cars in the yard, especially cars in assigned service (e.g. U.S. Navy ammunition cars) which had to be returned to their point of origin.

Any agent I ever talked from the pre-1960 period was entirely familiar with ORERs and worked with them daily. I asked one if he saved any copies, and he said he was always happy when a new one arrived, as the previous one would be so worn and tattered by then.
Russ was perhaps stating the situation in the 1970s, by which time many smaller agencies were closed on most railroads, and as the ORER print run fell, prices may have risen in response, making the ORER copy an expensive item. It did not seem to be so in the 1950s.

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