Were there any Frisco depots with "searchlight" type train order signals, as opposed to the blade type? Tom
Lamar after a derailment, circa 1967, took out the trainorder semaphore. I think that Cape had one as well.
Cape Girardeau did, in fact, have a searchlight train order signal, but not until after the brick passenger depot was razed in 1965. The until 1965, the signal was a lower quadrant semaphore. The searchlight signal was installed at the new, Butler-type building depot at the corner of William Street and Aquamsi.
Right on, Karl and Keith. The Southeast Missourian blog "f/8 and Be There" by Fred Lynch had a photo from this era of a school field trip standing alongside the train order signal with two lenses. I just tried to find it, but their website now tells me that I've used all of my freebies for the month and can not access further unless I subscribe. Nuts. Best Regards,
Just ran across this Aberdeen, MS photo of what appears, to me, to be a searchlight-style TO signal, c. 1977 http://www.thebluecomet.com/slsf427AberdeenMS2.jpg Best Regards,
Chris--I just tweaked the brightness on that photo and that is for sure a (two light) searchlight signal. Thanks for posting. I've been thinking about a searchlight style TO signal because that would seem to be the only believable type that could be made to actually operate in N scale. Tom
Tom, there are some new signals available in N that have great color rendition. Joe Kasper is going to install beaucoup of them, replacing his old ones. I didn't get the manufacturer name; you get packages of heads, ladders, etc. and solder/assemble units of whatever configuration you need. Joe will be selling his old signals. He's not on this group, since he models the nasty green stuff, but surely you know him? Perhaps Keith has seen them?
Color wasn't the problem, it was mechanics. I was referring to the fact that a "searchlight" type signal would be more trouble free than a semaphore type if you wanted an operating train order signal. A light changing from one color to another is going to be easier to manage that a mechanical semaphore. Chris ran across the Aberdeen photo of the signal with two bulbs--even better. Tom