Coast Line Signal Aspects

See next post.

JimBoylan wrote:

First Barnegat wrote:The photo posted showed a southbound (railroad west) CNJ train with the northbound (railroad east) signal lighted. I have no idea why the northbound one would light for a southbound train.

I've seen the same thing in multiple track territory on the New York Central & Hudson River near Bear Mtn., N.Y. and the Reading near Langhorne, Pa. Signal logic indicates that both signals would have to light up so a burnt out set of bulbs could be detected in low visability. If only the signal for your track is approach lit by your train, you might not know until too late that your signal was broken and you were seeing the signal for the ajacent track being lit by a broken wire or another train! Rule books state that the absense of a signal light, etc. where one should normally be seen must be treated as the most restrictive indication that that signal can give. So, the sight of only one signal where 2 should be seen should slow you down even before you decide if it is your signal that is dark.

Thanks for the info about signals on multiple track territory! It seems that the railroad signal designers thought through every contingency.

And I think your post referred to signals on parallel tracks with trains in the same direction. I get this from your phrase "... the sight of only one signal where 2 should be seen ..."

As can been seen from the link provided by earlier post by Tri-State Tom (repeated below), the NJCL here is two tracks, with the eastbound signal approach lighted from a westbound train.

Tri-State Tom wrote:...Here's a pic I found of the west/northbound signal at Shark River Draw....

http://www.thebluecomet.com/nylb3682belmar.jpg...

And another post by Zeke (repeated below) provided some light, pun intended (sorry), into the logic circuits that control the signals in question.

Zeke wrote:... In the NY & LB days if a train was running against the current of traffic from Bay Head to a hand crossover east of SHARK moveable bridge there was an approach lighting circuit provided 2500 feet West of the bridge on track no. 1. This lit up the eastward low home signal and the three head eastward high home signal. The eastbound train running against the current of traffic would need the low home signal to proceed over the bridge and continue up to Bradley Beach etc. This is the reason, if you were standing in the rear vestibule of a westbound train at SHARK, you would see the Three head eastward home signal lit. Hope this helps !

I dunno if it has anything to do with anything, but the current signals on the Coast Line, at least east of Long Branch, the signals are approach lit on some, but not others in the other direction.

what I mean is a westbound will turn on the signals (both east adn west, 261 east of Long Branch), obviously westbound they will turn on, but most, but not all, of the eastbound signals on the same mast will turn on too, and sometimes, usually, show a favorable signals for that track - a westbound on 1 will activate signals for track 2, and many times, its a clear signal or whatever the direction of traffic is set by the dispatcher