Nostalgia & History > Southwest Limited and freight leaving Winslow

Here's the Southwest Limited departing Winslow into the morning sun on 10-8-76.
Next two of a westbound leaving Winslow first thing in the morning. The San Francisco Peaks above Flagstaff are visible in the distance in the caboose photo.

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Really like the second photo.

Can anyone explain the purpose of the rectangles behind the signal heads in the first & third photos?

RuleG Wrote:
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> Really like the second photo.
>
> Can anyone explain the purpose of the rectangles
> behind the signal heads in the first & third
> photos?

I like the photo too. An area I used to visit with some frequency when I traveled fairly often to Arizona on business years ago. Always enjoyable, and lots of trains.

I've seen "back-boards" like that used a couple of other times in the Midwest, though not on Santa Fe. One time I was able to ask someone who worked for that railroad about them. He confirmed my guess: that they were to aid reading the signal in a situation where there would be considerable ambient light interference, whether by sunlight or other lighting. This location would seem to fit that idea. The track here is oriented east-west, and on an ascending grade and an upward curve. Just as when you are driving your vehicle in such a situation, and have your field of view elevated by going up-grade and turning more directly into the sun, and you then pull the windshield sun-visor down to block the light, such "back-boards" can act as fixed-in-place "sun-visors" to help block the sunlight (or whatever other distracting ambient light), and better enable reading the signal.

That's my understanding, purely as a railfan. Seems logical to me. Professional railroaders, please comment.

MC

Nice shots!  OLd Santa Fe Railway Winslow, AZ based conductors and head brakemen and Needles, CA based passenger flagmen and train baggagenen all worked betwwen Albuquerque and Needles..  Winslow based engine crews worked to and from Seligmen, AZ. In top photo.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/20 03:46 by RodneyZona.

Neat shots!  I loved those SDP40Fs and the area there close to Winslow.

RC Lundgren
Elgin, TX

         There is a time of the year when the setting sun will line up nicely with the track and make it almost impossible to read the signal. Put more black background around the signal light and things are better.

Thanks to those who responded to my question.  I would think that the conditions causing Santa Fe to install the sunshields would be present in many other parts of the country, but this is the first time I've seen such devices.

The cantilevers at Dalies, NM had those backboards in the late 1970's as well:

http://www.carrtracks.com/nmtc27sf8740.htm
http://www.carrtracks.com/nmtc27sf8026.htm

Great shots - especially the first one.
Gary

Nice to see that woodburner in service, likely long gone.

Oliver Barrett