Here’s a photo from about 1900. I’ve never seen a signal like this one before. What’s it called? How does it work? Were similar ones used up & down the line? Was it illuminated ?
Looks like a highball. A green ball hoisted up the pole or possibly a variation. Maybe a green board would slide into view in the round opening.
Is that an early B&O station at Kent, OH with the Main Street viaduct in the background?
I don’t know about the signal - however, I have seen something similar in some ‘turn of the century’ films of the PRR and horseshoe curve.
Here’s some information on Banjo Signals:
https://railroadsignals.us/early/banjo/index.htm
and a similar signal that looks like what you found in Kent:
https://railroadsignals.us/early/bannerbox/index.htm
Good Luck, Ed
My first thought too was that it was something like a banjo signal - I think Ed is correct on it being a bannerbox. It appears to only have two options: clear (light shining through clear glass, as shown in the picture) or stop, which would be a red lens slid down from above down so it was inside the clear glass.
Clear or lunar/white originally meant clear, green meant caution, and red meant stop. Only later did green mean clear and yellow caution.
Notice how high up the signal head is, so the indication could be seen against the sky’s light. It could be artificially lighted, but I don’t see any evidence of it being lighted by a bulb or oil lamp.
It’s called a Banjo Signal, though probably not an automatic one. It’s probably a train order signal letting trains know whether or not they have to stop for orders. A train order signal does not give any information about block occupancy.
Chicago & North Western had automatic versions of Banjos that were used for both block and interlocking signals. Most if not all were replaced before WWII with horizontal tri-lights or searchlights.
The picture lead to several more questions.
The ‘station’ looks to be a repurposed box car. What is the slide coming down to the station from the top of the viaduct for? The signal looks to have been constructed to be able to be seen on the far side of the viaduct.
Your eyes don’t deceive you: that is a repurposed box car serving as the depot on the lower level tracks. It was a Pittsburgh & Western box car that was used from 1884 until 1905 when the new B&O depot (where you once picked up your paycheck) was built and opened.
You’re also right about the Main Street viaduct in the background, although everyone here calls it a bridge. When I suggested the historical society call it a viaduct, forks dropped onto plates and pearl necklaces were clutched, so to speak. But you and I know the truth.
That is indeed a baggage slide, but since it seems to be missing a wall on one side, I’m not sure how accurate it was! As for getting one’s bags up the stairs to street level, good luck with that.
One can just see why Kentites disliked and resented this small and awful wooden box. If ever a depot deserved that famous sign in Cleveland (and maybe elsewhere) in those days, “Don’t judge this town by this depot,” this was surely it, if only because all a waiting traveler had to do was simply look up at the large and beautiful Erie depot on the upper level tracks.
Thanks to those who posted help about that curious signal, missing in this photo. I’m convinced it was a station signal, unilluminated, and meant to be seen from way the other side of the bridge, er…, the viaduct.
Now, what kind of signal was this, seen on the W&LE depot in town in 1898? (photo, Butler County (OH) Historical Society.)
Looks like a repurposed switchlamp, possibly to indicate that a given train has orders waiting – surely Kent was a ‘regular’ stop!
Did B& O make any use of Robinson’s signals? That is what I think that other head is; they were ‘electrically-actuated’ signals (from periodically-changed batteries!) but not electrically lit.
By the signal’s location mounted to the WLE station, I would expect that it is a Train Order signal.
With my time living in the area (1962-64 & 1967-72) I don’t ever recall seeing a WLE station in Kent - not saying there wasn’t one - I never recall having seen it.
A banner box would have used red silk rather than a red lens. The glass technology wasn’t far advanced in that era and it would have been quite heavy for the mechanism.
Train order signal seeing it is next to the agents office. Also what appears to be a train register desk, maybe?
If you are in danger of missing your train you could use the slide to reach the platform quickly, much like today’s aircraft evacuation slides.
Mark Vinski
Some rule books call that type a “swift” train order signal. There are many variations used, some much less ornate - just a paddle, and many had a lamp for night time use. Swift seemed to be a generic name and i don’t know where it originated.
The desk might also be a “bill box.” Most I’ve seen a smaller, about the size of a small mail box. When the agent went home at the end of the day, he could leave waybills and switchlists for trains that would work the town when the depot was closed. Conversely, a conductor would leave waybills for cars left at the station after hours.
Jeff
The link specifically mentioned that it was a manual block signal. Not a train order signal. It was installed 1863 and was the first manual block in the US. Automatic block had to wait for the invention of track circuits c1880.