Just curious to know of any operating semaphore signals in your part of the country --. We have 2 operating and 1 static - ( permanently in the up oposition ) at the junction of the CP and Southern Railway of BC - at Clayburn BC . Anyone notice any?
As a youngster I grew up running the tracks. There was a set close to our farm. The other set was on the other side of town. BN or Frisco (can’t remember which one) took them out and replaced them with the standard searchlight signals. You know that the semaphores were lighted at night just like a searchlight signal so I guess the maintenance on them was why they were switched.
None here around the Twin Cities. They even removed the old smash boards at Bald Eagle Junction. All the lines are running colored light signals, searchlight or multiple light.
The semaphores I remember here in Milwaukee on the C&NW are all long-gone, alas. Brighton Park in Chicago has armstrong operated semaphores at the crossing – maybe the last ones around?
Dave Nelson
Check out http://www.semaphores.com
Remaining semaphores have been covered ad nauseum elsewhere. You’ll find them along the CORP in Oregon, Montana Rail Link in extreme western Montana, the CSX ex-Monon in southern Indiana, BNSF ex-Santa Fe in New Mexico (Raton Pass line) and a few other places scattered here and there. I understand the CORP signals are not long for the world; a bunch of the MRL blades are scheduled to come down next month. Put St. Regis, Montana in your travel plans for the next few weeks if you want to see some great upper-quadrant semaphores, easily accessed, serving their final days along a very scenic railroad.
There are only a handfull of T-2 semaphore signals left on the ATSF Dodge City to La Lunta To Raton to Albuquerque lines… Tricolor 3- lamp signals have pretty well taken over… T-2 is a semaphore withe a colored lamp lens, T-1’s are the semaphores w/o colored lights, both are 1900-1930’s ancient and I miss them mostly because after motor car indicators, they could give you a signal aspect from behind…
There are a gaggle of T-1’s and T-2’s still guarding ICE’s ex-Milwuakee transcon in central Iowa.
[;)][;)][;)]
Can you very carefully tell me the difference? You will have to use simple terms, since I don’t have a clue what we have here.
Mookie
A picture is worth a thousand words.
I’m sure you have seen both styles. My understanding is that the railroads are moving toward the multi light style as they do replacements.
Ok - that makes sense - We definitely have multiple lights here. Now I know!
Thank you!
Mookie
You’re welcome Jen. I enjoy making these little drawings for you or anyone else. If I have a photo that helps explain something, I’m happy to post those too. This sketch just took 10 minutes to whip up.
Did you understand the word aspect that MC used in his response? Aspect refers to the color or position of the signal. Things get complicated when there are multiple heads on the same mast.
I’m surprised that you didn’t ask about smash boards.
You know - I thought about Smash Boards - but figured I wouldn’t see them -
I am always on a time constraint - have to ready and ask during work time, so sometimes I just don’t have time to read something very thoroughly. But yeah, I would like to know -
And just between you and me - most of the time I never understand what MC says. He has his own language and I just read his reviews and pick out a word here and there that makes sense. Or not!
Jen
Smash boards - the ultimate “stop” aspect. As you’re picking up the splinters you can reflect on the fact that you should have stopped… Assuming you didn’t hit something as a result of running the signal…
Ah!
Thanks Larry, I’m a little slow this morning. The reason I even mentioned smash boards was because they look and operate a little like semaphores. Sort of like a “crossing gate” for trains, they only have two aspects, clear and absolute stop. The longer and wider blade hung directly over the track, about cab height, making them very hard to miss. They would be found at places like junctions, opening bridges, or gauntlets.
Here’s a photo of the junction I mentioned earlier. The mast in the distance used to hold the smash board, as well as a lighted signal.
I know, I know, what’s a gauntlet?[swg]
A gauntlet was used to squeeze two tracks through an obstacle like a bridge or tunnel. Instead of using switches and going to a simple single track, the two tracks were interlaced, leaving 4 running rails on the ties. I’m not sure when this practice was discontinued, but I think you can see why you would want a smash board ahead of this track feature.
Semaphores around here were removed by the B&O between 1935 and 1960, in honor of their CPLs, whichy CSX is already tearing out in honor of the ugly in-line “Darth Vader” signals.
Darth Vader signals? Yes I know what Darth Vader looks like - they had a streamliner that looked just like Darth Vader. But signals? This will require another Elliot drawing.
Moi
Nothing hard about MC’s sentence using “aspect”. When you’re talking about signals, the “aspect” is what you see (red-over-green-over-red, for example), and the “indication” is what the aspect means (diverging clear, in this example, and its definition in the rule book or special instructions).
What MC was saying is that a semaphore can be seen from both directions, even though the aspect, when viewed from behind, has no indication that pertains to you (according to the rules, anyway). Train-watching at interlockings (such as Joliet or Deval) used to be fun when you could see the semaphores from behind as you sat by the crossing, and could tell where the next train was coming from.
As for the Darth Vader signals, that refers to the color-light signals (usually with three bulbs, though I’ve seen them with one or two) with a single hood covering everything. Not sure how accurate the description is (i.e., I don’t remember thinking about railroad signals when Darth Vader appeared on the screen), but somehow know right away what people are talking about.
BC - now you are starting to sound like MC!
The Darth Vader I can understand - we have some hoodies here, too.
Aspect - want to go read that one over many times and see if I can get it straight in my mind!
Moo
Ahh the old Semaphore Signals- Actually i know where some are still in use
On the Island of Sodoor- Thomas the tank engine and his gang still run on a RR with them intact and functioning
I don’t recall any semaphores around this area at all,other than the ones for train
orders. C&O used color lights,B&O with their color position lights,PRR&N&W,
with their position lights.I believe Southern used searchlights. And I’m not sure
about the IC (before ICG) I know that most now are color lights.
And Mookie,unless I’m extremely wrong;I think the “DARTH VADER” signals
are the triangular light arrangment(2 lens on top,other below centered,to look like
a triangle) with the hood wrapping around all three.[:)]