Nostalgia & History > SP Fans, What do You Make of This?

Roger Puta took a three photo sequence of a train led by SP 8234 and probably later in the day caught her in another place.  The sequence certainly has to do with signals.

Thanks,
Marty Bernard

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The last photo is at Drain, Oregon on the Siskiyou line.  The train is heading eastbound.  I have no idea on the first two photos, but I would hazard a guess of Roseburg, OR.

  This looks like the same train in all four shots. The first three appear to be at Springfield Jct. This is
 where the Siskiyou line and Cascade lines meet. The Cascade line is at right. I'm not sure of the signals,
 but I know Judkins siding is just ahead and I believe there used to be a crossover here and that a train
 from the Siskiyou line could go directly into Judkins without entering the mainline. That may be the reason
 for the double headed signal. I don't think there would be any reason for that signal today since this train
 would have to enter the mainline before it could enter the siding. Very nice series, thanks!

Not specifically SP, but as a general observation I find the use of searchlight units on a mast without any kind of background target to be interesting.  I assume it was done in order to place the signal on the right-hand side of the track governed where the track centers were narrow.  It is interesting enough that I would likely have photographed it myself had I been there.

It also appears that the lower unit only lights when a Stop indication is displayed, but I've seen this done elsewhere.  If there is more to the photo sequence I don't know what it is, nor if the fourth photo is relevant to the earlier three.

Gordon



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/19/17 13:34 by gbmott.

Although its a CTC signal, it looks as if it is around Springfield.  Usually a signal without a target would be a clearance issue.

Nudge

First 3 at Springfield Junction, eastward train coming off the Siskiyou Branch entering the mainline to head to Eugene.

​SP "double headed" signals generally only had the bottom unit light up if the top unit displayed "Red" or if the signal was displaying "Approach Diverging".

​The reason for this double signal was for Judkins - bottom unit governed movement into the siding at Judkins. The switch was located just past the junction switch.

​If you look in the distance you can see another signal displaying "Stop" (all red). This is the mainline signal for the Cascade Line and is close to the original location of both these signals, which were originally on a signal bridge just past the "new" overpass. When the overpass was built the signals had to be relocated, which is why the signals are off-set and for clearance the shrouds were removed from the Siskiyou signal.

​As a note, these photos are out of order - #4 would have been the first shot and then the other 3.

 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/21/17 10:03 by Railbaron.