I’m looking for a set of the 3 color aspect glass “roundels” found in older searchlight signals or target lights. I would prefer to have the small 1 inch diameter lenses instead of the larger lens for 3 color aspect signals. Does anyone know where I should look? Are there still “junk yards” for old signals where I might find these for “cheap”? Please advise and thanks. JRP Collector of railroad stuff (and builder of the HO scale Great Southwest and Pacific RR)
Check professional rail magazines and product web pages. If you know the manufacturer of your unit, the better. Secondly, you might check with maintainers or even the stores department of you local railroad and ask if they could direct you to a source. And, yes, junk dealers, even antique stores, sometimes end up with things like that but I am assuming you don’t have the time to do long term searching like that…but railfan flea markets and train shows would be a place to seek.
Within the last month or so there was a post here from a fellow in SoCal (if I recall correctly) who had an “inside source” in the UP Signals Dept. for scrap signals, as he posted a photo of an ex-SP one that he had purchased, and was trying to figure out where it might have come from by the MP number. If you can find that post you could send him a Private Message/ start a “Conversation”, and see if he has them or might know where you could get them . . .
There are also several websites of various collectors and fans, so you could try them, too.
Good luck with it !
- Paul North.