Union Switch & Signal - Anunciator

Discussion in 'Memorabilia' started by yardmaster, Jan 29, 2009.

  1. yardmaster

    yardmaster Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Back in 1996, I trekked home to Chaffee for a two-day auction of the estate of Lee Chronister, long-time River Division employee (Assistant Superintendent at one point, I think).

    Lee had accumulated a wealth of old items down to reconstructing a small, board-and-batten standard depot in his backyard! He also had the old neon sign from the Joplin depot, a motor car, and the operator's bay of the depot was authentic down to the Prince Albert tins in the telegraph sounders!

    Ultimately I had very little money to spend: Among other things, I ended up with this oddity!

    From talking to Lee's son, it's apparently some sort of signaling device to indicate southbound/northbound trains but he wasn't sure if it was used inside a depot or an interlocking tower. The metal boxes don't seem like they would be terribly water-proof so I'd have to assume it was for indoor use.

    I'm not sure how well it shows in the interior photo, but each light has relays mounted below the single light. It was manufactured by Union Switch & Signal Co. but no date can be found.

    I hope that someone can identify, especially its purpose. In my ideal world I'll figure out how to make it work and use it for an operational layout.

    Thanks in advance for any assistance (and for your patience in reading my rather lengthy narrative of how this gadget came into my possession).

    Best Regards,
     

    Attached Files:

  2. yardmaster

    yardmaster Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Re: Request: Identifying Old Equipment

    Folks -
    Going through some old threads, and wondering if any newcomers to the group have any input on what in the world this gizmo is...

    Thanks, in advance!

    Best Regards,
     
  3. Karl

    Karl 2008 Engineer of the Year Frisco.org Supporter

    Re: Request: Identifying Old Equipment

    An annunciator.
     
  4. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Re: Request: Identifying Old Equipment

    Ok Karl, you know you are famous for information that educates us all with clear and concise posts. Two words don't satisfy my curiosity. Please expound.
     
  5. yardmaster

    yardmaster Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Re: Request: Identifying Old Equipment

    Karl, thanks for the information. I wish I had info on exactly where it was used; my best guess is that it was somewhere on the River Division (they also auctioned an old teletype that had a "CHAFFEE" face plate on it).

    Annunicator: "A device, audible or or visual, to announce the approach of a train." (From The Railroad Signal Dictionary by Adams & Hitt (1908). Found this gem on Google Books!

    Now, I just have to figure out how to set this up someday. It would probably be more fun at an out-of-the-way station on a much larger layout.

    Best Regards,
     
  6. zcgillihan

    zcgillihan Member

    Re: Request: Identifying Old Equipment

    Howdy! Those are train indicators, commonly used in towers but I have seen them located in depots before. Used in several different applications its hard to know exactly how these two were used. Sometimes it simply just told you the direction of the train as to how the signals where lined, other times it told you what direction of track was being occupied, and other times it just indicated signals. These are pretty rare to find these days. Good find!

    Zach,
    www.rrsignalpix.com
     
  7. yardmaster

    yardmaster Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Re: Request: Identifying Old Equipment

    Thanks for the additional info, Zach. Frankly, I don't know that anyone at the auction knew what it was. My budget was limited and the price didn't go out of reach on this one, so I grabbed it.

    Best Regards,
     

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