While riding Amtrak a few years ago to La Junta Colo. saw some semiphore signals out in New Mexico (ATSF mainline I think). Wonder if they are still there?
Was there a time they were used without lights on them? If so how did an engineer see them at nite?
Also, for those with railroad experience, how difficult were the semiphore signals to see in bad weather?
It was the ATSF and I think they are gone. MudChicken could tell us better.
I am not aware of them ever having been without lights, but it would not suprise me if they were made that way at leat once.
Visibility? Even if you couldn’t see the light, you could see the blade.
The real problems with semaphores are 1) mechanical - need lots of attention and 2) they could be frozen in place by winter weather - such as freezing rain, wet snow and such. Color light signals are much easier and cheaper to use and purchase.
The Santa Fe T-2 Semaphores are gone since late last year, replaced by Tricolor (Darth Vader) signal masts…
T-1 signals still exist in places (Semaphore w/ no lights), usually guarding crossing frogs & interlockers…ICE stil has them and L&N/C&EI was full of them.
With the demise of the motorcar signals in the 1980’s, the T-2’s were nice to have around in ABS territory to give you some advance warning. Now you keep an ear out for the talking HBD’s (with the servotalk that sounds like Teddy Ruxpin on an acid trip)…
Greatly missed by the survey crews and track forces.
Kenneo (eric) is correct on his points, might add that bird poop had its acid affects as well. Will miss watching hotshots zooming by before the arm completely drops. The main problem on the old ATSF was lack of parts for an 80 year old US&S assembly.
At La Junta, accross the street from the depot on the west side, a pair of T-2s still reside in a city park along with an ATSF CE-2 caboose that is part of a bank’s (CB&T) drive-through.
The caboose might make an interesting photo of the day if you could get a shot of it. [:)]
I would love to see how they have incorporated it into a banking facility.
They started off without lights, but then again, when they were introduced, trains didn’t run to often at night. Semephores were introduced in the late 1800’s, were originally used at stations, but with the advent of electricity were slowly expanded out from there, as Lighting became better, they were adapted with colored lights for better night operations. But for the reasons mentioned above, most railroads abandoned them in favor of just lights.