Crossing gates
NW Mailing List
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Tue Oct 6 14:10:26 EDT 2009
Thanks Richard, Gordon, John and Mike for your input. The Link photo bears
out what was said about the individual lengths of neon and the zig-zag
pattern. However, I wonder if there was more than one design. The image
impressed on my young brain during several years of waiting for 100+-car
hopper trains to cross Main Street in Farmville is of one long tube with
blacked out sections. Does anyone else's recollection agree with that? I
don't recall if there are any such drawings in any of the standards books.
(My office is a mess right now so my copies are buried.).
Richard, concerning your statement about our age and memories ("You and I
have reached the age where we have learned a lot... just can't remember much
of it!"), speaking for myself, the older I get the more I find that I have
"learned" a lot that never happened and that my mind is good at
manufacturing memories that I am absolutely convinced are real until someone
presents me with convincing proof otherwise. This forum is good at
relieving me of some of my deeply held misconceptions. Occasionally I am a
bit embarrassed, but I am always happy to learn new facts.
Mike, concerning the photo, it has always been one of my favorites too.
Especially because it was the first Link photo I ever saw. One of the
Richmond papers featured it prominently because it was a national contest
winner and, or course, for its Virginia interest. I think that was during
the time--the late '50's--when Link was engaged in his N&W project and
several years before the recordings and published photos made him a
household name to railfans.
Sam
----- Original Message -----
From: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 7:51 PM
Subject: RE: Crossing gates
Still won of my all-time favorite portraits. I believe that this is the
first N&W photo that he won an award for (in 1958); somebody can correct me
on that. Truly an eerie but beautiful shot of night railroading at its
finest!
Mike Weeks
Greenville NC
-----Original Message-----
From: nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org on behalf of NW Mailing List
Sent: Mon 10/5/2009 4:00 PM
To: NW Mailing List
Subject: Re: Crossing gates
I think this Link photo shows that. Wish it was not such an oblique angle.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/2567355412_ff2c46cea3.jpg
On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 2:23 PM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
wrote:
Faulty though my memory may be, I remember when N&W crossing gates in
Roanoke had flashing neon tubing along practically the full length of each
arm. Here's where the faulty part comes in. I think I remember that the
neon tubes were in a zig-zag configuration, i.e., like a bolt of lightening.
Gordon Hamilton
----- Original Message ----- From: "NW Mailing List"
<nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 04, 2009 7:13 PM
Subject: Re: Crossing gates
While we're on the subject, my memory growing up in Farmville during the
1950's and 1960's is that the flashing lights on crossing gates then were
neon tubes that ran the length of the gate. Sections of clear glass
alternated with sections that were painted black. Of course, they flashed
red in the clear sections. Can anyone corroborate this, or is my memory
faulty.
Thanks,
Sam Putney
----- Original Message ----- From: "NW Mailing List"
<nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Friday, October 02, 2009 6:26 AM
Subject: Re: Crossing gates
The state pays for the installation of a new crossing. Then it
becomes the railroad's responsibility from then on to maintain it,
test it, and keep it working.
The oldest equipment I know of was the Magnetic Flagman, more commonly
known as the wig-wag signal. As for gate mechanisms and flashing
lights, they used Western Railroad Supply (WRRS) quite a bit, as
there's still some of that equipment out there. They also used some
Union Switch & Signal crossing equipment, Western Cullen Hayes, and
Safetran.
NS is currently using Safetran for its crossing equipment.
Ben Blevins
On 10/1/09, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
Did the N&W or now NS show a preference for the type or manufacturer of
crossing gates used? Are they the railroad's or highway
dept's responsibility?
Mike Shockley
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