Here is my plan… (Scary isnt it? Well it should be according to my wife… Everytime I tell her I have a plan she gets nervous) I have a decent selection of scratch building supplies that I would like to use. Also, I am tryign to build my own design of signals for my freelanced road. I guess you can say the Kiva Valley Design, like how the SP was known for the singular cantilever signal towers. While I want to do my own design, and maybe push the limits a little to make it catchy, I still want to keep it somwhat realistic.
My main line is all double track and I had the thought of making a Large T shaped tower and mounting it in the middle of the tracks, hanging over so the signals are hung over the middle of the tracks.
The only prototypical hang up that I fer would be brought up would be the occasional wide load… which, if I were to keep with my “pretend railway” located in its made up location in central Arizona, wide loads or over sized loads would be very, very rare as all the mountain curves and long grades would make it impractical to cut from northern AZ to southern AZ. Also, on the line to BNSF in Flagstaff, there is one tunnel that was built back in the late 20’s fairly narrow, by today’s standards… That tunnel restricts most over sized loads from the get go. ( I just made that up actaully, but sounds good)
So, 2 questions for the mass here… One) Any railroad run a signal like that? Two) Could I get away with it?
Thanks guys. Depending on how this goes, I will build one and I will post some pics of my Signal T tonight.
Well, I have never seen a tower between two main tracks, unless there is a lot of clearance. The prototype needs 8’ from the track centerline for ‘close clearance’ - usually much more due to things like high/wide loads. Why not mount a mast on each side of your DT mainline with pleanty of clearance? Or, use signal bridges/cantilevered signal towers off to one side. Atlas will be marketing a Type G signal with a dual facing targets: See item #239…
Thanks guys for the ideas… I have been pondering over it all day. I would do a siganl bridge in a heart beat, (which is my favorite type but I only have 4 of the peices I need to use for the up rights. So, 2 more bridges or 4 T’s type or cantilever type… Those Atlas ones are pretty freakin cool. Unfortunalty, tight on budget. [:(]
I was surfing the Walthers catelog and saw some scratch buidling supplies that looked really good from PlasticStruc. I think I am going to have to bite the bullet and just buy more supplies. Even though, personally, I kinda dig my T design, but I am afriad it might look to radical and give rivet counters fits.
I also thought of another knock against it, anytime it would be serviced, a crewman would have to walk across the tracks. Something tells me a real railroad wouldnt like that design.
