[PRCo] Re: Restored Signals

[Fred Schneider]

Don't get me started on the subject of displaying our toys to the  
public without bothering to interpret them, Ken.    You are touching  
on a sore spot.   I.R.M. also has a signal garden and a sign  
garden.   I would much rather find a way to have a 1915 town where  
you could walk through someone's home and see how they eat and see  
the corner grocery store where they shopped and observe that they had  
an ice box and an ice man and no refrigerator and then put the  
vaudeville show in the theater or perhaps actors putting on the  
Sunday School picnic.   Railway Museums (and a lot of other  
museums ... sign museums, bottle cap museums, presidents homes, you  
name it) tend to take their subject and toys out of context and then  
they wonder why the public doesn't understand.

One of our best museums is Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.   I think  
that when my parents went there on their honeymoon in 1935 most young  
people had a basic understanding that the Rockefellers were  
recreating the colonial capital of the British colony of Viriginia in  
the new world.    Read again what I said ... British ... English ...  
before the American revolution ... prior to 1776.   The capitol  
building was reconstruction of the colonial capitol, a building owned  
by the English.   The Governor's Palace was the home of the Governor  
of the colony of Virginia ... it was also English.   Today, because  
we as nation understand so damned little history, I doubt that one in  
ten visitors even understands that we were British at one time and  
that they are seeing a town that represents our British history.    
Furthermore, because there are one or two buildings still not owned  
by the foundation, it is a city in its own right and they cannot  
close off the streets and force the visitors to go through a gate and  
see a video first so they understand.   The result?   The people  
come.   Look for a morning.   Don't understand.   Get bored.   Ask  
stupid questions like, "Where did the Pilgrims land?"  Then go off  
and ride the roller coaster at Busch Gardens or buy trinkets at the  
Pottery Shop.

The trolley museums?   I don't know that they do any better Ken.     
At PTM, when the Nachods (and it is frequent) are not working and I  
have permission to go through a red head block, I have never once had  
a passenger scream that I went through a red signal.   Tells you just  
how observant they are.    Maybe I should tell them first?

fws

On May 9, 2007, at 1:34 PM, Ken & Tracie wrote:

> Now I got what you mean, Fred.
>
> Maybe they should just do a "signal garden" like O.E.R.M.
>
> K.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Fred Schneider" <fwschneider at comcast.net>
> To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2007 8:53 AM
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Restored Signals
>
>
>> Let me ask you what happens if two cars from opposite ends of the
>> block try to occupy the single track at the same time?    What signal
>> aspect do they get?   And how do they resolve it?   If you don't tell
>> the crews, they don't know what to do.   It isn't simply red and  
>> green.
>>
>> What is a spacing signal?   What is an absolute block signal?   Etc.
>> Etc. Etc.
>>
>> Of course, we won't have spacing signals because we have no double
>> track.
>>
>> On May 9, 2007, at 11:37 AM, Ken & Tracie wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>> 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.
>>>
>>> I'm confused by the above statement. Please elaborate. In my  
>>> admitted
>>> ignorance, I would figure these signals would be used the same way
>>> as they
>>> would on any other property.
>>>
>>> BTW, Fred...Tracie would like to meet up with both you and your
>>> wife in Utah
>>> this coming summer. Please e-mail me off list.
>>>
>>> K.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>