Antiques Roadshow: Amtrak & Old Wayside Equipment

[gokeefe]

I often notice how old some of the wayside equipment is around my area in Maine. As the Downeaster has made to way northward a lot of it has been replaced. This tends to be the case anywhere Amtrak operates due to safety requirements. But as we all know there's always an exception to the rule and sometimes those are the most interesting things to discuss.

Which route segment over which Amtrak operates has the oldest wayside equipment? We all know about the semaphores on the Southwest Chief so I'm not really looking to rehash that. But I do wonder about other segments which might have a lot of old signals, grade crossing lights or switches and controls which might be old and unusual. The term "antique" is traditionally considered to mean older than 50 years which in this case would almost always mean "pre-Amtrak". If it's less than 50 years old it should be an exceptionally "rare" or "unique" equipment type. Anything less than 20 years old really doesn't count.

Personally I always wonder what the ride on the Capitol Limited or the Cardinal would look like. It seems to me as those two trains probably roll by some very old wayside equipment.

[bdawe]

On the Mainline in Philadelphia? Having become a modern railroad first on the PRR, I would hazard a guess that they have some of the oldest wayside equipment?

Otherwise, the Coast Route in California, especially between Gilroy & San Louis Obispo, might have some old equipment. I know it was signalled in the 1920s, as befits SP's premier passenger route, but it's substantial decline in importance as passengers and non-transcontinental freight have left the rails has lead to a lack of impetus to replace anything

[gokeefe]

I found some interesting installations of wayside equipment in Dawson, PA (Capitol Limited). Streetview even shows a very old set of crossbucks at Main Street but alas they seem to have been replaced in more recent photos. Time to take a look at the route of the Cardinal.

[Tadman]

I think the ex-PRR/MILW trackage coming north out of CUS had some really old position light signals until recently.

Also, the Eagle and Saint Louis trains had to run through the manual non-interlocked Brighton crossing, that was pretty archaic.

[gokeefe]

This old cantilever style grade crossing signal in Coloma, MI on the route of the Pere Marquette is unlike any I have ever seen. Per Google it appears to be still in place. Also appears to be in territory using the old pole mounted signal wires.

[gokeefe]

Another Pere Marquette find, the ex-PM/C&O coaling tower in New Buffalo, MI, is likely one of the very few left in the entire country which sees an Amtrak train running through it.

[gokeefe]

I would hate to think this thread will simply be lost to an inventory of cantilever grade crossing signals but for the moment they seem compelling enough ... Here's a pair on the John Street crossing in Salinas, CA.

Thanks to bdawe for the earlier suggestion to take a look at the railroad between San Luis Obispo and Gilroy.

[John_Perkowski]

UP, after absorbing SP, swapped out much of the signaling in California. Several spots where I knew a searchlight stood now have a 3 position light.

[gokeefe]

I have to admit I have been very surprised to see what does and does not remain on some of these lines.

[gokeefe]

Although searchlight signals must seem like "nothing special" at all I was a little surprised to encounter these units at the Duplainville Road Crossing on the CP/Soo Main Line between Milwaukee and St. Paul along the Route of the Empire Builder.

The three aspect configuration leads me to believe these are home signals. But even if they are not I doubt there are many railroads left that still have searchlight three aspect signals controlling traffic on a two track transcontinental main line.

Yes, Mr. Norman, to this very day equipment installed by your MILW, likely decades before its demise, is still in service.

Thank you to Tadman for the suggestion of the CP/MILW.

[mtuandrew]

Anything on the ex-C&O Buckingham Branch we should be aware of?

[Tadman]

This old cantilever style grade crossing signal in Coloma, MI on the route of the Pere Marquette is unlike any I have ever seen. Per Google it appears to be still in place. Also appears to be in territory using the old pole mounted signal wires.

Those used to be all over the PM main, there was (is?) one like it in Bridgman, Michigan, about 30 miles south.

Another Pere Marquette find, the ex-PM/C&O coaling tower in New Buffalo, MI, is likely one of the very few left in the entire country which sees an Amtrak train running through it.

Believe it or not, there is one ten minutes away on the Detroit line, north side of Michigan City. I grew up nearby and have been past more times than I can imagine.
https://towns-and-nature.blogspot.com/2 ... higan.html

Classic Trains did an article on coaling towers a few years ago.

[shadyjay]

Not sure if this counts, but on Amtrak's Hell Gate Line in NYC, there are several of the New Haven Railroad left handed semafores still in place up in the catenary bridges. Or at least there were <5 years ago. They are not in use and haven't been for some time. Most of the signal system along the line is a PRR-style position color light system.

[charlesriverbranch]

Does the semaphore signal mounted on the ex-B&M Durham, NH depot count?

[shadyjay]

Does the semaphore signal mounted on the ex-B&M Durham, NH depot count?

I would say no. Reason being: its not on railroad property anymore, technically. The blades were removed at some point by the B&M, most likely sometime in the late 60s. Sometime since the restoration of passenger service in 2001, blades were put back up, most likely by the building's owner (UNH still?). I don't know if they are the original blades,however.