PRSL in color-1974-1978 6019, wy379, ca299, brown/bulson st

[mitch kennedy]

New web server-reconnected to these pix (sorry for the 3-month lapse!). First up is PC (ex NYC) S12 8308 at Magnolia on CA299 at the Owens Corning plant, Jan 76


Next is 6019 on a Westville-Bulson St transfer at Morgan Blvd crossing Jul 74.


Next is RS11 7654 and PC GP38 8316 on WY379 at Wenonah in May 76


Next is WY379 entering the Bridgeton Sec. in Sept 77


Next is light power n/b from a Bees Pt Extra at Wmstn Jct waiting for an order from Brown. Note the old southward "home" signal showing clear! sometime in 79


Last are 2001 and PC 2012 at the OCF plant in Magnolia Jan 77


Mitch

[JoeBas]

Thanks for sharing... FANTASTIC pics!

[CJPat]

I do enjoy your photos

[Jason]

Great Pics, keep 'em coming.

[rrbluesman]

what did 'home' signal control at Williamstwon Junction?

[mitch kennedy]

Well, it wasn't a home signal per se-hence the quotes. Each end of Wmstn Jct had a pair of signals at each end of the siding. R183 and a n'ward signal w/ no number at the Wmstn Rd end (near the old station), and R192 and a s'ward un-numbered signal, the one in the pic, below the New Brooklyn Rd crossing. The un-numbered signals were referred to in the special instructions in the later PRSL ETT's as needing a train order to proceed on a stop signal, whereas other signals were all stop and proceed's with the exception of southward signals at Oaklyn and Pine Valley, which had grade markers. As Elmer Devenney explained a LONG time ago, this made a "pocket" to hold trains betwwen Anchor and Wmstn Jct, especially when CA 289/298 cut over to the Clementon Branch > I imagine when Milmay or BP extras came south in the afternoon as well, it was a hoppin' branch! Perhaps Steam Man or Mr. Lee could elaborate????????
So much for rules class!
Mitch

[JJMDiMunno]

Thanks so much for posting these - this is truly what this group is for!

Keep 'em coming!

Mike DiMunno
Forum Moderator

[Steam man]

Nice pics Mitch. The signals at Willimstown Jct came under Rule 509 (PRSL Special Instruction 1509-A1) which made them 'stop and stay' signals. In use,this gave the train dispatcher a mid way 'control point' which could be used to hold trains,set up meets and so on. Many times train orders would be only issued to Williamstown Jct. if there was traffic that prevent movements farther north or south.

The local drills would also be issued train orders to pass the stop siganls as needed to complete drills,especially at Johns-Manville north of the Junction. As to afternoon BP extras, that wouldn't be the normal operating proceedure,as they would be 'scheduled' to fit in the operating hours of both Winslow and Tuckahoe Block and Interlocking stations.

These two places were part time from 6.00am to 10.00 pm (more or less). There were occasions when the extra board (me lots of times) would be called to man Winslow or Tuckahoe for a weekend BP extra,but it wasn't done a lot.

As to the two 'stop and stay' signals at Pine Valley and Oaklyn,these were probably used to protect the drills and/or track usage at the Owens-Corning Plant at Barrington and the locations would allow for a train to wait for clearance without blocking grade crossings.

[mitch kennedy]

Thank you, Rules Examiner Avis! I love the PRSL "signology", especially the ex-Rdg side with the color signals. It was probably arrangements like Wmstn Jct that allowed CR to list the Clementon Br signal rules in the early CR ETT's as "APB" or Absolute-permissive block with the 500-series rules in effect as on the PRSL. This I believe was a system developed by Union Switch and Signal for intermediate-level trafficked signalled lines. The E-L used such a system. I didn't see reference to these signals til the mid 60's PRSL ETT's. Was the use of Berlin as a block station til the 60's the same logic, in that you could hold CA 289/298 if he was late enough to bump into the passenger time of day, or just to run someone thru the crossover when resurfacing and tie gangs were out and about (they used to man "remote" interlockings on the PC and other roads for that same purpose) Thanks for the info and I look forward to the next "rules class"
Mitch-

[Otto Vondrak]

Mitch, great photos, thanks for sharing!!

-otto-

[PRSL2005]

When did Conrail take the signals out of service?And when did they close Brown,Winslow ,and Tuckahoe towers?

[JJMDiMunno]

When did Conrail take the signals out of service?And when did they close Brown,Winslow ,and Tuckahoe towers?

Signals should have been taken out in 1983 if I recall...Tuckahoe was finished if I recall in 1981 when passenger service ended down that way, and Winslow's last day was in December 1984.

I MIGHT be wrong on Tuckahoe...but I'm about 90% sure it was 81.

Mike DiMunno
SJRA / SJRail.com

[mitch kennedy]

I believe it was 83 also-around the same time Rdg Terminal closed. I remember seeing the ABL signs going up and then the lights went out... For the benefit of the "kids".. they were located in pairs with northbound signals even numbered and southbound odd-numbered same as train numbers. Discounting the northward approach for Brown, there was a pair at Oaklyn toward the W. Collingswood end of town, with the southward signal having a grade marker (it was .50 to .80 percent from Oaklyn to just past Orston!). Next was R78/R79 in Lawnside just behind the old Two Guys (now Home Depot), the R115/R116 at the Laurel Rd crossing in Stratford, then R-150-something, just south of Pine Valley (we'd see them lit up when we hiked at the old Pine Hill scout camp!).The southward signal here also had a grade marker allowing southward movements to take a Stop indication at restricting as the grade from Clementon to Albion averaged about .75 percent.... from Clementon to Penbryn it gained 100 feet in elevation. Then at Wmstn Jct just north of the Wmstn Rd crossing, was R183 southward and the special stop-and-stay signal northward. Then below the New Brooklyn Rd crossing was R192 northward and Stop-and-stay southward (At the S. end of the siding). The last ones, discounting "Anchor", controlled by Winslow, was a pair at Braddock whose numbers also elude me (R-220-something?) I bet even now a southward Beeseley point coal train sounds awful nice along Atlantic Avenue towards Pine Valley with the windows rolled down. CM91 or a coal extra with Rdg RS3's were quite a spectacle even in the GP38 days! Hey how come with the new web software my HTML links to the pix are all dead????

[JJMDiMunno]

Hey how come with the new web software my HTML links to the pix are all dead????

Hey,
Apparently what happened is that when the board software conversion took place, URL's with .jpg as an extension were assumed to be pictures (as they are), and the board software automatically inserted PHP IMG tags around the string. What it didn't do was remove the old HTML code surrounding the string, which made it a link. So, it's a mix of PHP and HTML that's causing the issue on older strings. I've edited your original post and fixed the problem - if you see any more, let me know.

Mike DiMunno

[mitch kennedy]

Thanks---it works fine. Apparently when the AFL-CIO hits the AM-FM digitizer it activates the SNAFU/FUBAR interface. Roger that. Dispatcher Auburn out...