Nostalgia & History > AT&SF Signal Sunday, Where? What?

This very interesting three-photo sequence is in with Roger Puta's slides.  I'm not sure he took them.  The mounts were stamped by the processing lab APR 83.  And the slides have not aged well at all.

Having just ridden Amtrak through there, I have a pretty good idea of at what we are looking and where but would rather someone more familiar with the area tell us exactly what and where. 

Do note the difference in signal aspects between the first two photos.

Enjoy,
Marty Bernard

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/04/15 13:05 by MartyBernard.

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On Google maps the signals are still there
at 36.26838N 104.627268W.

http://binged.it/1KZVOVY



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/04/15 13:30 by timz.

Interesting track geometry. Looks like there's quite a dropoff after the curve.

The are presently the easternmost semaphores on the ex-Santa Fe Raton Subdivsion. These are located just west of Springer, New Mexico, near Colmor.

Joe McMillan

Great sequence !! Vintage Amtrak and ATSF semaphores,  oh boy.

Thanks RS12394.  Now I have a caption.

Marty

the signal aspect changes when the train enters the block dropping the semaphore to stop ...

real nice shot with the train hitting the curve on the downgrade and the snow blowing around ... what is the TT max speed on this section of territory ...

Track speed for passenger was and is 79mph.  This stretch never got Automatic Train Stop.

That 252 was my favorite engine.  It had all the power needed to stay on time both to and from San Diego.  The best k5la in the fleet and a bell that sounde like it was made from brass.  And it rode like a Bentley limo at 90.  The best engine I ever ran.

As info, the train is eastbound No.4, which in 1983 was still called the Southwest Limited. 

Thanks guys.  Now I have a caption !!!!

Marty
 

Actually looking at the aspects I think this is an example of the ATSF overlap system of
signaling in single track ABS territory.

In the overlap system when for example a westbound train passed the signal at the west end of a siding
not all the eastbound signals between there and the next siding would go red.  The first few closest to the
siding would go red, then a number would go yellow and some at the east end of the single track would
stay green.  As the westbound train entered further blocks, more eastbound signals would change to red
and yellow.  What was maintained was an adequate number of yellow and red signals so that if an opposing
train had mis-read train orders and passed the point where it was to wait, both trains would encounter a yellow
signal prior to a red signal.  This gave both trains adequate signals to be at restricted speed when they encountered
one another.

In the more common APB system all opposing slgnals to the next siding went red when a train passed the signal
at the leaving end of a siding.

So Englewood, in the overlap system you could end up with two 100-car freight trains facing each other in the middle of noplace.

Marty

whistlepig Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That 252 was my favorite engine.  It had all the
> power needed to stay on time both to and from San
> Diego.  The best k5la in the fleet and a bell
> that sounde like it was made from brass.  And it
> rode like a Bentley limo at 90.  The best engine
> I ever ran.

Ughhh...

MartyBernard Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So Englewood, in the overlap system you could end
> up with two 100-car freight trains facing each
> other in the middle of noplace.
>
> Marty

Correct, if someone overlooked a meet or wait.

Since the ATSF had many miles of UN-signaled single track
where trains met safely on a daily basis there must have been
some advantage to them in using the overlap system at some locations.

WP-M2051 Wrote:
 Ughhh...

What does that mean?