[PRCo] Re: Restored Signals

[Fred Schneider]

Does that include "Don't drop sand?"    <I'm grinning but only partly  
so.>

I guess I'm a little skeptical of color light signals on a museum  
trolley line knowing how much trouble railroads had with signals if  
the rail wasn't heavily used and polished.   The big boys never had a  
problem with 50 car freight trains or 15 car passenger trains ...  
there were enough axles and wheels to shunt signal circuits.  The  
problem happened when you had a single switch engine or an gas- 
electric car or an RDC car or a trolley car with only two or four  
axles and four or eight wheels and rail that was used infrequently  
and was rusty.   And then someone got a clear block when he should  
not have.

  I remember that CORK interlocking tower on the PRR used to have  
"RUSTY RAIL" clips that could be placed over signal levers as a  
reminder not to trust certain signals if they hadn't had a train over  
them in a while.   The Reading Company used to have selected RDC cars  
that were allowed to be used as singles between Reading, Schuylkill  
Haven and Pottsville that had tread brakes that were used to polish  
the wheels to make sure the signal circuits worked.   And we all know  
the story of the accident north of Drake caused by sand left on the  
rails that shorted out the signals and gave a motorman a clear block  
when someone else was in it.   The people who worked in this business  
for a living understood the pitfalls.

Frankly, I don't think I'm going to trust the US&S signals any more  
than I do the Nachods, especially after a week of rain or in the  
first months of the year when we're not running a seven day week.    
They were semi OK for Pittsburgh Railways because they ran a minimum  
of four cars an hour, 18 to 20 hours a day through each block and  
because the motorman also knew from experience where they were  
supposed to pass a car and if they didn't see the car, they got antsy  
and got on the horn and asked the dispatcher.    When we have 7  
visitors on a Friday in May after the April rains ...  Let me ponder  
that situation.

There is still no substitute for knowing where every car on the  
museum property is at any given moment.    Beats paying claims.

On May 8, 2007, at 5:52 PM, Edward H. Lybarger wrote:

> Jeff King has already done this (the rules, that is).
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
> [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org]On Behalf Of  
> Fred
> Schneider
> Sent: Monday, May 07, 2007 4:33 PM
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Restored Signals
>
>
> They're winking and blinking but I asked Tim if I had to pay
> attention to them this coming weekend and he said they are not
> officially being used yet.  Only a few of us who knew Pittsburgh
> Railways would understand how to use them anyway.   He'll have to
> create a new rule book before County Home siding can be placed in
> service.
>
> On May 7, 2007, at 12:15 PM, Matt Barry wrote:
>
>> Story on the restored signals at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum,  
>> with
>> pictures.
>>
>> http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/mostread/
>> s_506278.html
>>
>>
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