N&W AC Signal System, Bannon - Columbus, 1911

Tue Jul 10 21:51:38 EDT 2018

Good to know another resource for the area, Eric.  Dad's interest in watching the same sorts of things you referred to - but in the early fifties - ultimately led to my interest in railroads. Both of my parents grew up there and both sets of grandparents lived in Circleville until they died, so we spent a lot of time in the city - crossing the tracks at Mound street inbound and at Main outbound.  The railroad was so familiar that I didn't pay much attention to it (other than counting endless cars of empty or full hoppers), let alone how it operated.

Five or six years ago, I met a guy who worked the Circleville job as an engineer - in the late seventies, early eighties, I think.  Maybe you met him - Mark Maynard.

Matt Goodman
Columbus Ohio, US

On Jul 10, 2018, at 10:35 AM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:

It should be noted that many Railway Signaling Journals are now available on Google Books...all for your downloading fun. I've compiled several articles on the N&W signal system over time. I agree Abram, a comprehensive compilation of all of this could be a nice feature in the Arrow.

As for Circleville, ask away Matt. I grew up in Ashville and know that area very well. The physical arrangement at Circleville with the "Old Main" and the PRR diamonds was quite interesting and we'd watch the switcher work the various industries along the old main for hours as we spent time in the old PRR depot which served as NS local operations offices...

My best,

Eric

On Mon, Jul 9, 2018 at 11:46 PM, NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
A quick correction to your write-up, Abram; the installation was between Bannon and Chillicothe (not Columbus). The placement of the generation plant at Dorney make a lot more sense with that context!

As someone interested in the Circleville area, I found the details about the plant at VI Tower (Circleville) a nice bonus. Thanks for posting this. 

Matt Goodman
Columbus Ohio US

On Jul 9, 2018, at 9:08 PM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:

Attached article, from the 1912 Journal of the Railway Signal Association, describes the N&W's new AC signal installation Bannon to Columbus in 1911, using a coal-fired steam boiler at Dorney to drive two generators.

The important thing to realize about this installation is that it was a VERY early installation of an AC signal system (AC track circuits, AC semaphores.)  The first AC signal system in the nation was installed just the year before (1910) on the Cumberland Valley RR between Hagerstown and Harrisburg.

Before the advent of AC signaling,  signaling was done with "primary batteries," made up in glass jars, using Copper + Zinc + acid.  Each such cell of battery gave slightly more than 1 volt DC.  A set of these primary battery cells was needed for each track circuit and each semaphore, and at each "cut section" in each track circuit.  Interlockings needed vast banks of batteries.  It was very expensive to make and maintain these batteries, and they had to be renewed every few months when the chemicals were spent.

So AC signaling was a real revolution on the railroads.  The first problem was, DC relays and DC semaphore signal motors would not work with AC, and therefore all new equipment had to be invented to run on AC.  The second problem was, there was no AC power commercially available outside of cities, so the railroads built their own power houses to generate AC power, and hung the transmission wires on their pole lines.  (Most railroads transmitted their AC at 440 volts; the PRR transmitted theirs at an incredible 6600 volts ! )

Perhaps some day we can assemble enough articles on this subject to gain a comprehensive idea of what the N&W was doing signal-wise in the early years.  Most of the information is out there in the trade journals - it just has to be dug out and collated.

-- abram burnett

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