Bahnschreiber occupation?

[Nova67]

Do any German speakers know what a Bahnschreiber would be c.1885?  My mother suggested a railway clerk.
I know Bahn is train and Schreiber is writing. There does not seem to be a literal translation?

[KGarrad]

Google comes up with Track-Recorder - whatever that is!
http://karl-may-wiki.de/index.php/Joseph_Haller_%28Bahnschreiber%29

Found this in a German book (on Google):
Eine besondere Position hatte dort der Bahnschreiber inne, denn die Eisenbahngesellschaften erwarteten Hochste genauigkeit.
(Der bahnschreiber wurde wegen  der langen Waggonnummern auch Millionenschreiber genannt.)

which loosely translates as:
A special position held there by train writers, because the railway companies expected highest accuracy.
(The track recorder was also called MillionWriters due to the long wagon numbers.)

[Nova67]

I hit on the translate for the Joseph Haller link and you do get a stilted English machine translation, but it says,  Joseph Haller (Bahnschreiber), then in English, translator has Joseph Haller (Railway Clerk) in large letters as the subject of the article.
I also had previously translated TRACK RECORDER  Felt none the wiser.
Perhaps Mum was right?
Thanks for response.

[youngtug]

I know Bahn is train and Schreiber is writing. There does not seem to be a literal translation?

Bahn is not only the train but also the track, or railway. I think it is a railway clerk.

[garstonite]

in England we have a TCI Track Control Inspector -he is responsible for which Driver / Guard goes on which train and which route ...for instance - it is no good sending a driver from Liverpool to Newcastle if the driver doesn't know every junction / level crossing etc on that route ...
so - although you think he was a Railway Clerk - he was a bit more important than that ...as a Track Recorder he was responsible for - The weight limit a goods train could carry - can't carry 1.000 tons on a train down a steep incline if that train can't stop ..so he had to know all the weight limits on all routes ( or he had a book with all that info - but he was responsible to strictly adhere to weight limits)..the crew - both must know the route /track they are on - the time of the journey - ie if it was 11 hours - he would have to organise another driver / guard half way through the journey - relief driver and guard ...
so your Track Controller was a very important job - and no doubt well paid
hope this helps 

[Nova67]

Thanks or Vielen Dank for the further responses and explanation of a Track Recorder.