Old signals in Michigan

[cbtrower]

Does anyone know of signals near Detroit that have yet to been traded in for Darth vaders? I know all the type Gs were replaced on the Michigan line, but are their any others?

[M.D.Bentley]

Lots. Detroit line. North yard branch. Junction yard branch.

[Ypsi]

Delray junction is a good starting point on the Detroit line. Wayne junction on the CSX side. CSX between Wayne and Plymouth has some old signals left. CSX in Romulus has a couple with replacements standing. Schafer junction has some type G's still in place. Oakwood junction on the CN side of things also has type G's (not sure on age).

[SD80MAC]

Everything west of Plymouth on CSX, with few exceptions (until you get to Lake Odessa) is still old PM/C&O era searchlights.

[ConrailDetr​oit]

All of Conrail's signals in the Detroit area are Tri Lights. The signals at Milwaukee Jct are easily photograph able including the ones on CN side that are newly replaced Trilights. Pictures later.

In Pontiac, the classic searchlight signals on the bridges that have had steam under them are still standing but will be replaced in the near future.

[Saturnalia]

Everything west of Plymouth on CSX, with few exceptions (until you get to Lake Odessa) is still old PM/C&O era searchlights.

As well as basically everything north of Romulus to Flint and east of Plymouth to Detroit, on CSX. Also with a few exceptions, here and there.

[Norm]

Still a lot of target signals on the CN Holly and CSX Saginaw subs.

[trainjunkie47]

CN has Vaders up and not quite cut in at Airline Junction in Pontiac. The Vaders to replace the searchlights on the north and south ends of the yard are sitting in the yard now, waiting to be erected. I have to imagine there will be no more searchlights on the Holly Sub in a couple months, if not sooner.

[CR900945]

Actually the "classic searchlight signals" presently in use in Pontiac on CN (GTW) were installed circa 1970. They were placed on brand-new signal bridges when CTC was installed from West Pontiac to just below the former GM Truck and Coach plant which was located on South Blvd. Prior to that, older tri-color signals were used as part of the previous automatic block system. Now, new signals are being readied to take over in the area.

[James Sofonia]

Ok guys, can someone explain the differences of classic searchlight signals, darth vader, and others or post some pictures?

[Saturnalia]

Ok guys, can someone explain the differences of classic searchlight signals, darth vader, and others or post some pictures?

There's a crap-ton you can learn about how different signals work, but the photos should get you most of the way to understanding the differences...


Searchlights use electro-magnets to move a series of three colored lenses into and out of the light, projecting out the various colors.


"Darth Vaders" is a colloquial term for modern solid-state color lights. They have no moving parts (a bonus), which each color represented by a different bulb/lens pair. The name comes from the oversized snow hood used on most of these signals. They're basically the same as any other color-light, such as this older example:




"Tri-lights", or more technically "Type G" signals are basically color lights arranged in a triangle pattern. Basically gives you the look of a searchlight without the moving parts.



And then there is the good old position light, which comes in either a color or colorless variety. The PRR used only amber, giving indications only by position (top). The B&O and N&W combined these with color. (bottom) The positions are the same as old semaphores.


And well, you should know what these are:

[SD80MAC]

Pennsy did not use exclusively amber. IIRC every signal west of Pittsburgh used red as the stop indication while everything east was all amber. I'm not privy as to why.

[Doktor No]

The Pennsy signals gave info not unlike a semaphore. N&W ones were basically the same. B&O signals along with their affiliate at one time...the Alton/GM&O in Illinois were just a mind boggeling conglomeration put together by a social scientist back in the 20's that made no sense what so ever. He came up with the scheme for signals and the B&O jumped on it. You will notice that almost no one else did.
PRR did use amber for a long time on all lines, in the 70's in Chitown they were. later on they went to red amber and me thinks green for clear...don't hold my feets to the fire on that one though...its been awhile since I did the NYC/PRR/Conrail thing out of Chicago.
And as an interesting aside before I go...we once got a B&O Pilot out of where ever it was we came up onto the Conrail at the high bridge in far south Chicago....he knew the NYC signals but we ran on a piece of the ExPRR towards Colehour and Hammond...he had no idea what PRR signals meant...ahhh nice. B&OCT pilots not qualified on the route we were on. Gotta love it. We went anyway...we were already committed.
Oh yeah, we had to drop him at Pine/Curits for a taxi to pick him up. Was the taxi there? OH HECK NO! So we waited, we wern't gonna drop him in the middle of a field at Curtis...and the Conrail Chicago West dispatcher got rather irate that we stopped to drop him off let alone wait for the taxi....fun days INDEED! Evidently he thought we were to take him to Porter or maybe even Grand Rapids. Probably should have qualified him on the C&O eh?
Return to your normal activities. Stay calm and carry on.

[Doktor No]

http://www.railroadsignals.us/signals/cpl/ Everything you needed and not needed to know about B&O signals. I hated em with a passion. IMHO they were over though and over kill.

[CSXBOY]

Plymouth has some cool signals like at Eckles and Haggerty roads