DL&W Signal Aspects

The cover photo of the current CLASSIC TRAINS clearly shows a westbound signal 151.3. Ths is a lower quadrant semaphore with two arms. The upper 'A' arm has three roundels but the top two are both red and would display a red aspect as a night indication in both the horizontal and upper positions of the blade. The lower 'B' arm has three roundels but the top two are yellow and would display a yellow aspect as a night indication when the blade is both horizontal and in the upper position.
It seems inconsistent from a rule standpoint that two positions of the semaphore blades would display three aspects when seen by day and only two when seen by night. Additionally each blade is different in that the 'A' arm is red and pointed end & the 'B' arm is yellow and forked.

Anyone with access to DL rules from this period that can explaine the names of these semaphore aspects & the indications derrived from these aspects?

Well here is a link to a DL&W Rule Book dated April 27, 1952 about 11 months after the photo on the cover of classic trains was taken. It doesn't appear to shed any light on the matter as all I see are two position automatics. not three. Checking the only EL Rule Book I have handy gives the same general info as the 1952 book.

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/el/ops/dl ... lockSystem

Perhaps this will help:
http://raildata.railfan.net/dlw/dlw_sig.html

The lower quadrant semaphore signals on the DL&W and most other eastern railroads used two positions for each arm. The purpose of the two red roundels in the top arm and the two yellow roundels in the bottom arm were to cause the signal to display the more restrictive aspect while the arm was in motion, or not fully lowered to the less restrictive position.

The top arm, being red with a pointed end, was the home signal portion of a two-arm automatic signal, indicating the condition of the block immediately in advance of the signal. It was controlled by the H (Home) relay, which was in turn controlled by all of the track relays and switch circuit controllers in that block.

The lower arm, being yellow with a forked end, was the distant signal portion of a two-arm automatic signal. It was controlled by the D (Distant) relay, which was in turn controlled by contacts on the H relay at the next signal in advance and the H relay at the immediate signal, mentioned above. The distant signal governed the approach to the next signal in advance.

When the block immediately in advance of this signal was occupied or otherwise not clear, the top arm was horizontal, as was the lower arm, account of its control by the same H relay. When the block immediately in advance was clear and the next block in advance was occupied, the top arm was diagonal below horizontal, and the lower arm was horizontal, its D relay being de-energized by the next H relay in advance. When both blocks were clear, both the H and D relays were energized, and both arms were diagonal below horizontal.

So that signal with its two arms could display aspects conveying three indications - "Clear," Green over Green, "Approach," Green over Yellow, and "Stop and Proceed," Red over Yellow.

If it were an absolute signal that could display a "Stop" indication, the top arm would have a red square end blade, and there would be no number plate on the mast.

At some locations where blocks were considerably longer than the maximum stopping distance, home and distant signals were at different locations. The single-arm home signal (red arm) governed the entrance to the block, and the single-arm distant signal (yellow arm) somewhere in the block governed the approach to the next signal in advance.

By the way, the three-position upper-quadrant semaphores on the Erie used yellow blades west of Port Jervis, and red reflectorized blades on the New Jersey and New York RR. In the 1964 EL Book of Rules the colors of the blades were not significant, but the shapes of the ends were.

Gordon Davids

The signal bridges along the line that Steam Town uses are All dark, Does the Railroad use any form of signals or paper work to use those tracks?

What were the Aspects given by those signals before they were pulled from service? If I remember correctly I seen 2 heads both with red and green lenses.

"The signal bridges along the line that Steam Town uses are All dark, Does the Railroad use any form of signals or paper work to use those tracks?

What were the Aspects given by those signals before they were pulled from service? If I remember correctly I seen 2 heads both with red and green lenses."

The signals on the DL and where Steamtown operates are long since out of service. My guess is they were deactivated when Conrail sold off the trackage and abandoned the Lackawanna Cutoff in late 70's or early 80's I dont know if the DL uses NORAC, GCOR or NS operating rules, but movement on the line is most likely governed by some sort of Train Order, Track Warrant or Form D.

Afaik the DL&W color-light signals were unique. The upper head could display red or yellow, the lower one yellow or green, giving the following indications:
Dark over Green (!) - Clear
Yellow over Green - Approach Medium
Red over Green - Medium Clear
Yellow over Yellow - not used afaik but could have displayed the AAR Advance Approach indication if the M&E had needed it
Yellow over Dark - Approach
Red over Yellow - Restricting
Red over Dark - Stop

To be completely fail-safe the circuitry would have to be arranged so that if the yellow or red on the upper head failed (e.g., bulb burned out) the whole signal would have to go dark, thus invoking the rule requiring a stop at an aspect imperfectly displayed -- otherwise a false Clear could result.

Just now got around to checking the link posted by Cactus Jack; if you scroll down to pp. 102 ff. the aspects are all there, and I see they also had a Red over Flashing Yellow for Medium Approach. They're all pretty much the same as the AAR aspects except for that Dark over Green.