There is some great information, and some great pictures on this site. One, for example showed a conductor and engineer comparing times on their watches. Even their names were remembered. It makes everything you hear so much more real.

The other interesting fact I came across was that role of the conductor was rather like that of the captains of marine vessels; and in fact, many conductors had been come from that training and background.

http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/collection/object_73.html