Rileyville VA Combo Station

[NW Mailing List]

Bernie:  Junction Box.   The pole is of course the line pole for signals (
the code line today), power, railroad telegraph and or telephone.   But we
have to be a little carful here as the N&W had its signal poles on one side
of the track and Western Union used the other side until the 1950's ( I
think it was) when both were combined on to one pole.  But around a depot
most of the wires go into the station building.  So...

 

The N&W did use telephones in the early 1910's in the Pocahontas Division
and I think this was before the Western Union had a large wire network in
that territory.

 

Never the less, as metal or plastic junction boxes or connection equipment
didn't exist in the form we know today, the boxes to make connections or
have terminal strips were made of wood in the early days.  You photo is from
around 1920 or possibly earlier.

 

Of course the semaphores in front of the depot are the train order boards
used to indicate if a train had to proceed at speed past the depot, no
orders, slow down to hoop up orders ( Form 19's or flimsies) or stop and
sign for orders (rarely done).  Note the cut on the end of the blades which
indicate train order boards rather that the pointed or square ends used for
signals.  The operating rule books tell which is which- 1917's or earlier
versions.  

 

Gary Rolih

Cincinnati

 

From: nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org
[mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Mailing List
Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2010 8:24 AM
To: NW Mailing List
Subject: Rileyville VA Combo Station

 

I recently bought a picture of the Rileyville VA N&W station from the
Commissary. See it at: http://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/listdocs.php?index=sc
<http://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/listdocs.php?index=sc&id=3&cid=785>
&id=3&cid=785  I would appreciate some idea of the purpose of the pole to
the left--looks like a birdhouse on top!!


###
Bernie Hylton

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