Signal restoration tips

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

Dr. Scheer asks: "Perhaps you can provide occasional tips about..."

You want tips from a piker like me?  You gotta be kiddin' ... !

1.  Concrete.  You can never put in too much (unless, of course, you're 
only anchoring down some cheesy little dwarf signal.)  Go down at least 
four feet, or your signal masts WILL begin to lean in a few years.   Get 
some long bolts (or "ready rod") and bend hooks on the bottom and imbed 
them at least three feet deep in your concrete.  Build a form for the top 
of your concrete signal base, so that it will look respectable, and make a 
plywood "template" to hold the tops of your foundation bolts out of the 
concrete. And yea, I hand mixed every dern pound of the concrete under my 
signals, from Ready Mix bags.  Also, use PVC conduit to form a path for 
your wire through the foundation concrete. Use oversize conduit and make no 
bends tighter than 45 degrees in the conduit, 'cause you gonna have to pull 
wire through it, Boy !

2.  Wiring.  Use the biggest wire you can get for lighting (because you're 
always going to see voltage drop at the field end.)  Encase it in cheap PVC 
conduit before burying (this saves putting a garden spade through it 
later.)  Always throw a few spare conductors in the conduit before you 
close up the ditch (which allows for growth.)  Seriously think about 
running some Romex so you can have a 120v outlet in your signal case in the 
yard.

I used 50 conductor, stranded 18 gauge "communications cable" for my signal 
lighting in the field, and "doubled up" the conductors.  For the "common 
ground," I used #4 BondStrand, which is what railroads use to come up 
through the ballast and connect to the rail.  I put about five or six 
passes of BondStrand between the house and each of my cases, which was much 
more than I needed at the time... but the ditch was open and I had a 
thousand foot reel of wire !

3. Setting Masts.  Assuming you've got your four foundation anchor bolts 
set in the right place, and have left enough thread sticking out of the 
concrete, setting up the mast is a simple, one man job.  But for hauling 
signal arms up the mast, I used a chain hoist hooked to the top of the 
mast.  Getting the signal arms square with the mast and tying them down 
with bolts is definitely a two-man job, and one of the men needs to be an 
accomplished cusser.  Bring all wires through the mast, and cut holes 
wherever needed to get the wires from the mast into the signal arms.

4.  Wiring.  I tried to be prototypical and wire the signals the way the 
"former owner" railroad had them wired.   Same with "nomenclaturing" 
(naming and tagging) the wires.  PRR signals get PRR wiring and wire 
nomenclatures; same with B&O signals; same with Reading signals.  Of 
course, this assumes that one can get the standard signal plans of his 
favorite railroad and that he can understand them.  I was fortunate enough 
to work side-by-side with the Signal Department guys for 20 years, and I 
could either ask for guidance or go observe something "in the flesh." 
Otherwise, I guess you could hook them up "high school science fair" style 
and nobody would know the difference.

If you want a particular circuit to do a particular job, Frank, I'll either 
photocopy you one from a railroad Standard Plan, or I'll design one for you 
in the Excel program.  Lemme know.

5.  Cleaning Cast Iron.  An air needle scaler is the only way to go.  Go 
back to raw iron. Nasty work.  Use course sandpaper for areas where the 
needle scaler won't fit.  I've worn out two or three pocket knives picking 
out last bits of caked-on old paint. Wipe your work down with solvent 
alcohol or gasoline.  Two coats of Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer, allowing a 
day or more between coats.  Two coats of gloss enamel on top... BRUSHED ON, 
NOT SPRAYED !!!   If something is rusted away, use Bondo two-part auto body 
epoxy to build it up.

There are no secrets to this kind of work.  It's mostly elbow grease and 
common sense.

-- abe burnett (of the dirty hands)