Surviving signal light?

Catenary mast 186, near Rye, appears to have a lit-up target style signal light, facing east. I would have thought that all signal lights like this were removed upon ATC installation.
It's pretty cool to see.

The circle PRR-style signal is used to indicate the phase break is in effect:
http://i50.tinypic.com/dmpjlh.jpg

I kinda find it funny how Metro North uses a PRR signal for that.

Most likely,not to confuse an engineer with some other wayside signal in use at that time.Those of us who went through the engineer's training program with PC/CR would have had to know PRR,NYC & NH aspects and indications.This is no longer the case.

That circle of lights used for the phase break emulates the hand signal to drop the pantographs. Though dropping the pans is not required for going through the phase break.

MN has two locations that have these circle of lights. One is just west of CP 223 (AKA "Pike") and one at catenary 814 (Bishop Ave) in East Bridgeport. Both locations are "Phase Breaks" meaning the engineers all electric trains must not draw traction power through the designated area. Dropping the pantograghs is not required.

Curiously MN has a 3rd "Phase Break" at East Norwalk (Catenary 538) that is not guarded by a circle of lights. That is due to it having an "Island" section of wire that acts as an insulating bridge between the two live sections. There are two "Phase Gaps" at Catenay 56 (just west of CP 216) and on Cos Cob Bridge. At these locations there is an actual gap in the overhead wire and these two locations are also not guarded by the circle of lights. As is the case with Phase Breaks, there is no requirement to drop pantograghs at these locations.

These style PB signals are not new and in fact they go all the way back to the New Haven Railroad days in the 1960's. I remember them in my earliest days on the road firing in the very early 1960's.
Noel Weaver

Noel,
Do you remember another similar signal mounted to the overpass (Naugatuck Ave?) just east of Devon tower? It was still there until only a few years ago but was removed when the overhead wire was replaced. Was it activated by the operator at Devon? Or was it on constantly to warn of a phase break?

Clean Cab wrote:Noel,
Do you remember another similar signal mounted to the overpass (Naugatuck Ave?) just east of Devon tower? It was still there until only a few years ago but was removed when the overhead wire was replaced. Was it activated by the operator at Devon? Or was it on constantly to warn of a phase break?

I remember the westbound PB signal at Devon, I never saw it used but if it had to be used it could be activated by the operator at Devon on orders of the Load Dispatcher at Cos Cob or maybe even by the Load Dispatcher directly.
Noel Weaver

It's a Phase Break indication, indicates that the phase break is active and that engineers approaching it when running electric locos and EMUs should place their controllers in coast to pass thru the phase break section. There are devices secured to the tracks at the said locations which will knock off the power in the NJT locos on the Football Trains before they reach the breaks. This is one of them, the other is adjacent to East Bridgeport Yard.

If you wanna see surviving signals (albeit not in service), here is where you will find some........

CP 241 (South Norwalk)
CP 244 (Westport, Saga Bridge)
CP 257
CP 261 (NOTE) At the north end of the Devon Wye, MNR Waterbury Branch, the original northward (south facing) signal mast is still used displaying "Stop", "Proceed Cab", Absolute Block", and is visible from any eastward train.

There is also some original automatic signals still mounted in the catenary between Westport and East Norwalk and between Westport and Greens Farms, the 2 spots that I recall seeing.

Last time I rode Amtrak out of NYC a few years ago, I saw the remains of some of the NH-era semafore signals in the catenary between Hell Gate Bridge and "Shell". While not on MNR prop-erty, these are the same signals that MNR used to have east of Shell.