pole paint - Painting of Signal Masts and Backgrounds

[NW Mailing List]

Comrade O’Cochran --

In the malingering Spirit of St. Paddy’s Day, Green Greetings.

Now, I realize that few people who read this list have much interest in the primitive days, but here goes with an old-time story about signal paint.

Decades ago, I knew an old Lehigh Valley RR Signal Maintainer who had hired about 1930. He was a 50+ year employee and a real treasure, and every time I saw him, I stopped and made conversation with him. Once, he took out his pencil (yeah, pencil) and drew for me the complete wiring circuits for a Semaphore Signal, from track and battery, through the relays, up to the signal motor itself… all from memory… and he included the nomenclatures (identification lettering) for each of the wires, too! Farmer John, as we called him, was a walking encyclopedia.

Farmer John told me that in his earliest time on the railroad, Signal Maintainers mixed their own paint, using Linseed Oil and Lamp Black. Into this mixture, they threw some Graphite, the purpose of which was to make the paint “slick” and easy to spread. Turpentine was the standard clean-up fluid back then, but I suspect the Signal Maintainers of Farmer John's era used gasoline, as they all had gasoline motor cars.

Another interesting story John told me was that when work was slack, the signal supervisors  "made work" for the younger fellows by sending them out to "oil the bolts and nuts" on signals and switches.  Remember, this was the day before anti-seize compound, and the oiling effort likely had some good effect on the threads.

By the time I came around (1964 hire,) the Signalmen were using Rustoleum, silver and black. Railroad practice has always been to avoid use a gloss paint on signals, account it may induce a reflective glare which could be interpreted as part of a signal aspect. And Farmer John told me that silver Rustoleum was the last variety of Rustoleum produced, due to some problem the maker had with the formulation.

My own experience with paint on my own signals is that flat and semi-gloss paints produce a surface which is a bit "porous" (for lack of a better word,) and which will not stand up to water for more than a few years. I always paint my signals and cast iron signs with gloss Rustoleum, and usually those paint jobs will last eight years, sometimes ten years. For primer, I use Rustoleum Red Primer… which is what the railroad bridge painters use.

Dat all I know.  Perhaps it will somehow help you with your signal angst.  Take a double dose tonight, and call me if you don't feel better in the morning.

-- abram burnett
Executive Director of the Turnip Patch Spring Planting Commission
.