Conrail Signals Dissapearing

If they were the "searchlight" type of single head with moving colored glass roundels inside, that is the most likely reason for taking them down. Replacement signal heads now have 3 separate colors in the head, and thus no "moving components" requiring maintenance.

I noticed that the old signal bridge over the CSX mainline on the Rochester Sub where it crosses Westside Drive in (I think) Gates NY is gone the last time I went and got a haircut. They've been busy.

Upon further research it appears to have been a former NYC signal bridge with searchlight type signals.

Tom, that's going on everywhere, on all major railroads.  A few years back, you could still tell what railroad you were looking at by the appearance of the signals, as the style and the mounting of signals is left up to individual railroads.

However, with the coming of PTC, certain standards must be met, in order to make the system work properly

• Older signals activated by mechanical relays in glass cases -- the gold standard for signals installed prior to 2000 -- must be changed to microprocessor activation.
• Any signals with mechanical parts (semaphores, searchlights) must be changed to color light signals, in which each color has its own lens.  Even though there have been color light signals for decades (Missouri Pacific, Union Pacific, and Southern were big users), the old color light signals still in existence are being changed to new modular-unit color light signals on aluminum masts as the relays are replaced with microprocessors, because the new signals are more compatible and less costly to maintain.  Most still use a light bulb behind colored lens with a clear outer lens, but LED's are beginning to gain ground.  LED signals were extremely expensive when first introduced, and so they only found customers where there was public funding for large projects like commuter railroads that owned their own track. Now, though, the price has come down, and railroads are starting to invest in them because the sight distance for an approaching train is greatly improved.

So, whether it's Pennsy, New York Central, Santa Fe, Southern Pacific, B&O -- whatever the railroad that originally installed the signals -- the old ones are rapidly being replaced with new color light signals that don't look much different from one railroad to the next.

The old NP signals are coming down left and right on the BNSF between Portland and Seattle, WA. I'm not sure if any are left now. I tried to get shots of them while they were still up, all going to the hooded "stop light" looking signals that everyone likes now...

This is an 'arty' shot I took of one set a few years ago, 6 months before it was yanked down for a modern set (which is also in the shot, waiting to be turned toward the tracks):

the NYC PC CR signals are being replaced or shall i say upgraded due to the installation of the PTC system which is going on on all class 1 RR....fyi.......conrail john

Last weekend while up along the CSX Lake Shore Sub that runs through Lake County, there getting rid of the Conrail Signals and putting in brand new CSX Signals.

What is a Conrail Signal?

Obviously the original poster isn't old enough to remember the NYC nor the PRR and what their respective signals looked like.

Hot Water, you are correct about me not being born yet in the PRR or NYC years, but I do know what they looked like. NYC Signals along this route were a single light with 2 or 3 lined up and down and the PRR are the signals that have Yellow Light and there round. As for the signals I'm talking about, this video I took before the train meet takes place in the video, my video shows below is of the signals I'm talking about, and you can see the new signals going in, in Perry Ohio.

Exactly my original point. They were the single light head, with mechanical internal moving color glasses. They thus require lots more maintenance than the new 3-light heads, with no moving parts.

wonder if they're replacing these?

the signals used on the former nyc chicago to new york mainline are  us&s type td5/ tr2 triangular signals with abackground. there are 3bulbs/colored lenses in each head.

tom jr is talking about an interlocking sigal .hw was referring to a searchlight type commonly used on western rr's and some here in the east .erie lack. comes to mind.

 many of these were replaced at berea ohio due to the masts being unsafe to climb on .a n.s.signal maintainer  told me.-jim

Norfolk Southern had submitted a request to the FRA last year to remove all intermediate wayside signals on their Pittsburgh line between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.  To my recollection, this permission was granted although I imagine the actual removal of the remaining intermediate PRR position light signals will occur as part of the installation of signalling equipment specific to PTC.  I would also be certain that any PRR position light signals currently located at control points will also be replaced by the standard three color light signal heads.

Tom's comment about LED's also reminded me of a recent safety advisory I saw from either NTSB or FRA regarding LED signals.  Apparently there have been some occurences (presumably on very long tangent track in the western U.S.) where newer LED signals are intermixed with older incandescent style signals.  Because of how bright the LED's are, there have been instances where crews responded to the indication on a more distant, brighter LED and overlooked the indication on the nearer, older style signal.

Curt