Early Grade Crossing Signage / Signaling Question

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Herr Comrade Matteos Goodmanovski... and associates :

The history of crossing warning devices has not yet been thoroughly researched, cataloged or documented. The documentation to do the job (in the form of digitized trade press periodicals (e.g. Roadmaster & Foreman, Signal Engineer, Railroad Gazette, etc) is certainly there to do the job.  Pray that some young fellow gets the inspiration ...

In the early days, there were no standards. Signage was experimental, and depended on the whims of local management. Electrical devices were in the developmental years. All the manufacturers and suppliers (Hall Signal, National Signal, Federal Signal, General Signal, Union Switch & Signal and more) tried to establish themselves in this line of business and rushed a number of items to market.  Railroads were expanding and were profitable, and spent heavily for new technology and toys.

Here are just a few tidbits... A drawing of a wooden crossbuck dating to 1884 exists, and it very much resembles what is in use today. The electric track circuit was first tested by Dr. William Robinson at Kinzua, Pennsylvania, in 1870, but it was not reliable because it used the "open circuit" principle and several years were required before a "closed circuit" track circuit was perfected. The only relays available at the time were telegraph relays, and that is what was used for the first track circuits ! (Robinson's patent drawings clearly show them.)  It took some years before railroads began installing Automatic Block Signaling in a big way (greater traffic volumes and increased speeds being the catalyst,) and there were a number of different ideas and equipments put forth for doing that job. Grade crossing protection, of course, was not as important and it came later. All manner of signs and automatic contraptions were put forth into the market.

The Association of American Railroads (A.A.R.) in 1913 established a Highway Crossing Committee to develop and recommend standard technology, methods, circuits, devices, signage, gates, bells and suchlike. The first flashing light signal for a crossing was installed on the CNJ RR at Sewaren NJ in 1913. (The crossing is still there, but with current-day equipment.)

In 1930, Union Switch & Signal hosted a huge exhibit of equipment and ideas at its Swissvale plant, which was widely attended by engineers, "public policy wonks" (i.e. politicians and others who spend money filched from taxpayers.) The attached photo will give you some idea of what was considered "modern" equipment at that time. From my understanding, that 1930 event pretty much marked the end of the age of unrestrained experimentalism by the many railroads, and the slow beginning of the age of national crossing standardization.

That notwithstanding, even into the 1970s the various railroads had in the standard plans, in field use, diverse pieces of cast iron crossing signage left over decades before. It was only in the 1980s, when the various Public Utilities Commissions implemented requirements for reflectivity on crossing signage that things changed. The new reflective signage went up and the old cast iron went to scrap or into the hands of those who like old railroad cast iron.

Somewhere in this continuum of more than a hundred years, you will have to figure out where the inspiration behind the various items of N&W signage came from, and when those items were discontinued. The old N&W Maintenance of Way Standard Plans will hold a good proportion of your answers.

One more thing you aksed about: The cast iron boxes mounted on short poles contained relays for the block on either side of the crossing.  The items up higher or at the top of the pole are housings for bells. In the early days, there were only two relays used. There were no "island circuits" over the crossings themselves, and there was generally a 90 foot section of UN-circuited track right through the crossing itself. In later years,  island circuits were installed and signal cases (in single track territory) were wired with five relays for crossing warning devices. For the past 40 years there has been an attempt to shift crossing warning activation from batteries, track circuits and relays, to RF's (radio frequencies) induced directly into the rails... the same stuff that operates the DTMF (Dual Tone, Multiple Frequency) dialing pad on your telephone.

When you finish researching this topic, I hope you will move on to the issue of batteries. There have been probably 30 or 40 different battery technologies used since Alessandro Volta built the first "voltaic pile" (battery) in 1799. The needs of the telegraph and the railroad industries spurred most of the progress. Check out the Cruickshank cell, the Trough cell, the Sturgeon battery, the Daniel cell, the Bird cell, the Gravity battery, the Grove cell, the Dun cell, the Leclanche cell, the Lead-Acid battery, the Alkaline cell, and more. And yes, there was even a "Sand Battery," made with sand... and it worked, too !

And thank you, Mr. Goodman, for your help last month when I was wondering about operations between Clare and Cincinatti Union Station.  The last month has been very busy here, what with grandchildren and family, and I failed to say thanks to you.

Somebody is calling me on the Wire... I need to get back to my telegraph. C.U.L.

Attachment.

-- abram burnett,
Farmer and Purveyor of Plasma Toroid Turnips
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