"Pole and Paddle" semaphores

[NW Mailing List]

Harry - 

I spent time in Tug Tower but did not go into the field to see the near signals.  Did Bob Painter say in which direction that approach signal was, and which home signal it “protected”?  Did Bob say whether the signal in advance of that approach could display an “advance approach”?  There might have been a short approach in the eastbound direction coming out of Farm.  

I know that they got in the habit of installing “advance approach” signals where such conditions obtained.

Do you remember that, at one time, they had an “approach restricting” indication?  They actually had one at Renick coming eastbound into the B&O interchange; they realized pretty quickly that it was a potentially hazardous signal to have, and discontinued its use.

EdK

From: NW Mailing List 
Sent: Monday, August 05, 2013 10:37 AM
To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org 
Subject: Re: "Pole and Paddle" semaphores







If you refer to the train order signals used at stations and towers, they didn’t have anything to do with automatic block signals.  They were not preserved to salute railroading in years gone by – they had a different purpose entirely, which was to let trains know to pick up train orders at that particular point.  In years before ABS, they were used to block trains.

EdK:
About signals -- R. D. Painter once told me that the distance from the approach to the
home signal at Tug was only about 1600 feet.  Been by there several times, but it never
made an impression.   Since you spent time at Tug, do you remember ? Harry Bundy






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