NECR Resignaling Project is Complete

I can report that the re-signaling of the New Englande Centrale's main line that hosts Amtrak's Vermonter north of the Massachusetts border has been completed. While I had previously reported on the state of this project, I can confirm that all legacy signaling has now been replaced. While the diamond at Bellows Falls was perhaps the most visible of the final round of changes, the north end of the Putney siding was also re-signaled. 

As always there are a few interesting details I should point out. The previously reported signaling anomaly at Bellows Falls resulting from a old double to single track conversion, has been eliminated. Trains at Bellows Falls now get a Clear signal indication for a straight route at Wapole siding as opposed to the previous Approach Medium to Medium Clear. 

The holdout signal at SOUTH BELLOWS FALLS has been retained, evidently to allow interchange with the Green Mountain Railroad without needing to seize the main line all the way to Putney.

The entire NECR portion of the line has done away with the Boston and Maine / Guilford practice of ultra-long ABS blocks. Now signal blocks will be a more uniform 2-4 miles which limits the impact of track circuit failures and increases capacity.

Having been re-signaled just prior to the start of the most recent project, the South Putney interlocking will be the only non-standard signal location on the line with a poor man's bracket mast for southbound trains and the use of Safetran scallop shell modules as opposed to Progress Rail square modules.

Although an honorable mention goes to the old northbound searchlight signal on the Bellows Falls platform that was so popular as a photo backdrop. That has been moved to the adjacent park around the Bellows Falls Chamber of Commerce.

It will be interesting to see if this affects on time performance or the schedule at all. In theory replacing the TWC with CTC for the 10 or so miles south of Brattleboro could allow a speed increase.

No Approach! The Duality of Uncommon Signals

We all learn about traffic lights in elementary school.  Red means stop, green means go and yellow means slow or caution. These are the basics of automatic block signaling that also tend to get taught in entry level railroading books. Now its pretty logical that a signal might lack the ability to display a clear indication. A permanent stop condition or the end of automatic block territory are both situations where a Clear signal would not ever apply. However there are a few situations where signals in North America can display Stop or Clear, but not Approach on the full speed head. 

The first is at interlockings outside of automatic block territory like a diamond crossing or drawbridge. The signal provides movement authority through the interlocking and without track circuits outside of the interlocking limits there is no "prepare to stop" points an Approach type signal would apply to. Trains will have their own movement authority like a track warrant so a clear signal is basically the interlocking telling the train "you do you". One might expect signals in this case to display a Restricting indication, instead of a clear, and sometimes they do, but that is going to come with a 20mph speed restriction, or less, which can be a time hit on unsignaled lines with higher track speeds. 

The next situation, Manual Block territory, would be very familiar to those in other parts of the world. Although almost extinct in the US, there remains a bit of manual block still in service on the LIRR and the way to identify a manual block signal is the lack of an approach indication. (This also applies in general to historic PRR signaling charts.) Signals will display Stop or Clear Block with any Approach functionality handled by a separate distant signal towards the end of the manual block. The PRR even went one further sometimes substituting the \ "Caution" indication in place of / Approach. 

Sometimes its really not good to have locomotives stopped and waiting at a specific signal,  Maybe there's an issue with a grade crossing, or noise, or diesel exhaust. In this case it would not be desirable for trains to approach that signal prepared to stop, so a preceding signal will either hold trains short or allow them to approach a signal with some sort of proceed indication. The most notable of these is at the entrance to Washington Union Stations 1st St tunnel that the currently diesel hauled northbound trains cannot enter without having a signal displayed further on that allows them to leave said tunnel. Another nearby signal location at CSX's LENFANT interlocking might lack southbound approach signals for a similar reason due to an overbuild.

One somewhat PRR-specific situation is where interlockings are provided with exit signals and because of the short distance between the interlocking's entrance signal and exit signal, Slow Approach is used instead of Approach. This creates an upper head that can only display --- Stop or | Clear. The C&O also made frequent use of exit signals, but seemed to keep their upper head Approach indication, although Medium Clear to exit Approach allowed the C&O to minimize the use of R/Y/Y/ Medium Clear.

A fairly new situation where Approach has been "omitted" involves high speed turnouts. At certain points on the NEC, Amtrak has decided to combine a flashing green "Cab Speed" signal indication with R/*Y* Medium Approach. At the end of a main track that converges into another via a high speed turnout, the result will be an upper head with green and red lamps/positions and no yellow lamp/position.
 

The Enthusiasts Step Up

Unlike Europe, Heritage railroads in the United States never developed a vintage signaling component beyond what one might describe as display items. The big reason for this is that in service signaling and interlocking appliances have significant regulatory inspection, testing and documentation requirements that are beyond the reach of most tourist train operators. The result has been that most preserved towers are completely inert, with just a handful having interactive elements such as operable interlocking machines (SS43 BERK) or full on simulations (HARRIS). However, in recent years it seems that the private collector/enthusiast space has been stepping up to fill the gap as exemplified by the small YouTube channel Laser 711.

Signal and signaling equipment collectors have been around for some time, snapping up such items as model boards, CTC cabinets, full size signals and even interlocking machines. Until recently, railroad signaling departments would tend to keep their retired equipment, as similar vintage hardware was still broadly in service and the parts to maintain them were no longer being manufactured. However, the PTC related re-signaling push rapidly phased out so much of the relay era railroad signaling that the equipment is now being sold for scrap or offered free to anyone with the capacity to haul it away. 

In the context of interlocking towers, model boards and CTC cabinets have been widely collected for some time as switch to video display in a dispatch office had long ago destroyed their reuse value. Somewhat ironically, it was the older mechanical and electro-mechanical interlocking machines that retained the most value as a source of spares for their kin.  (For example a major reason LENOX tower near St. Louis was closed was to supply parts to the CNW LAKE ST machine in Chicago.) However as the number of these in service interlocking machines hit zero, anyone with a large enough truck could cart the survivors away for their own personal amusement. This is where Laser 711 comes in, having apparently set up not just a HARRIS style PLC backed simulation, but the full hardware stack including relays, point machines and signals.

 He has also restored an ex-Erie CTC console from BK tower along with its original code system, and now appears to be in the process of implementing as much field functionality as possible "in relay".

Of course it would be great if more publically accessible museums were able to step up to the plate with functional period correct signaling equipment, but the signal enthusiast community, powered by recent advances in the "maker" scene and high capacity pickup trucks, seem to be taking up a lot of the slack. Just like we have seen with the extensive telecom switch collection of Step by Step Phil, these private efforts stand a good chance of eventually finding their way into durable preservation.

Attempted CTC at the Seashore Trolley Museum

I will also mention that non-FRA regulated streetcar/transit museums have the best capacity to implement "live" historic signaling. When visiting Shoreline Trolley Museum I was shown their "in-progress" CTC system that they were building from thousands of relays donated by Amtrak and Metro North.

 

The fact that I have not heard much if anything about that project in the past 20 years hints at its priority in the greater scheme of things, but all it takes is the right team of enthusiasts to get a project off the ground.

New Signals Up At THORN

 Although not much has changed regarding the ultimate fate of THORN tower, recent photos do show what the new signaling situation is going to look like. In the eastbound direction the triple signal bridge covering tracks 1, 2 and 5 Running, have gotten the Safetrain upgrade with Rule 562 'C' boards turned. Although not yet in photos, it is expected that track 4 will also be getting a PL mast signal to replace the existing reverse direction dwarf. SEPTA is tentatively resuming service to Coatesville upon the completion of new station facilities in 2025 which includes a semi-restoration of #2 track to a point just past the new station for the daily NS regional freight. 

In the westbound direction new PL masts are up on tracks 1 and 2 to replace the reverse direction dwarfs and its assumed that a new gantry mounted signal will be in store for #4 track.  The real surprise is what looked to be a new westbound full PL mast signal on what used to be the Low Grade Freight Line track. The old THORN had maintained a vestigial signal in that same location, but despite the rationalization of the former 6-track full crossover, it seems the low grade stub track has not only been retained, but is being prepared for use. What that use might be remains to be seen, but a mast capable of displaying Medium and Limited speed signals could imply SEPTA trains making some sort of switchback maneuver after discharging on Thorndale's track #4 platform or coming out of some yet to be built storage tracks on the footprint of the old PRR Thorndale facility. 

The THORN interlocking cutover is still planned for later in June with DOWNS to lose its switches before complete removal. GLEN and FRAZER will be turned over to the dispatcher by the end of 2025 closing THORN as an active interlocking station.

NECR / Central Vermont Changes You May Have Missed

While I have been posting much about the loss of former Boston and Maine searchlight signaling on the New Englande Centrale, a couple of other changes on the Central Vermont end of the CT Valley corridor caught my eye. While B&M ownership and CTC ended at Windsor, at some point in the 1990's the Statge of Vermont and/or Amtrak got some money to install about 10 miles of new CTC between there and White River Jct. Unlike the low cost B&M system, the CTC extension had regular 2-3 mile long blocks with vertical color lights, but no new interlockings or passing points.



Upon closer inspection one might notice that the type of color light signal are the short lived mono-housing GRS variety that are also present around LA Union Station, Dallas Union Station and the extreme northern end of the Conrail Lehigh Line.



Anyway in an absolutely baffling decision that was probably the result of generous Federal funding, the NECR also replaced the completely modern CTC extension several years before the 1950's B&M signaling. The new signals consist of hooded LED modular units from Progress Rail The new mast-on-relay-hut signals replaced the older and slightly smaller mast-on-relay-hut signals and feature Canadian style "R" boards in both directions as well as new number places with direction suffixes. The change took place between 2022 and 2024 and mirrors the new signaling installed between EAST NORTHFIELD and Brattleboro, VT.



Another change came in the form of a further CTC extension all the way through the White River Junction area sometime in the 2010's. This change took place between 2012 and 2019 and includes interlockings north and south of White River Jct.



Stay tuned for at least one additional post covering the recent history of signaling in the Connecticut River Valley.

CSX Continues to Attack the Big Four

Turns out that the River Line isn't the only part of Conrail territory currently under attack by CSX signaling crews as I just saw that CSX had replaced the 1990's Conrail vintage signals at CP-37 on the former Indianapolis Line in Wellington, Ohio. This portion of the line had been re-signaled late in the Conrail era and could otherwise be considered "modern" instead of a NY Central legacy holdover. The three track eastbound signal bridge could be considered a local railfan landmark.

The westbound cantilever was likewise replaced. The portion of the Indy Line between Berea and Greenwich is notable for carrying bulk of CSX traffic from the former Conrail territory in NY State before it switches onto the old B&O route to Chicago via Willard. 

To be determined if this is a wide area project or more hen pecking. The signal aspects being Conrail or Seaboard will be a hint. Other signals south of Greenwitch, like these NYC-looking tri lights at CP-189 in Ansonia, OH, are also being replaced.

Unfortunately this is not a part of the country that I have good access to so hopefully some locals are getting all the necessary pictures.

Mr. Beast Fakes the Trolley Problem

For those of you who don't know, "Mr. Beast" is one of the most popular figures on YouTube mostly appealing to 11-14 year old males with formulaic content that tends to involve giving away large amounts of money in novel ways. To get value from this post you do not need to know who Mr. Beast is and I am not recommending you view his content. In 2024-2025 Mr. Beast produced a 10 episode reality TV show for Amazon Prime titled "Beast Games". While watching an in depth third party review/breakdown of Beast Games, I noticed something in the 7th episode the pulled back the whole reality TV artifice a little farther than normal due to my knowledge of how railway signaling and operating rules actually work and I figured I should share it with the class.

The premise of the 7th episode, entitled "Elimination Train" was to set up a trolley problem scenario with full a size AAR locomotive and rolling stock on a Canadian short line. Chosen players would be placed on a surprisingly realistic fake signal bridge with a prop "lever" situated perpendicular to the track. They would then have to choose to direct the train either towards a high value vehicle they could win or representations of their team members facing elimination. (Note, this isn't a faithful representation of the trolley problem which tries to explore the morality of action vs inaction.) While the overall show suffered from a lack of play testing, they did manage to coax one of each outcome for this event.

Anyway this is where the fakery of reality TV becomes visible to anyone with rail knowledge. The sequence begins with the contestant "choosing" the car over the other contestants with the "lever" placed in the reverse position. However to keep up the drama its made clear that he can still change his mind at any time until the train passes the switch like in the conceptual trolley problem. As the full sized locomotive with one car in tow appears out of a smoke effect and approaches the switch the episode went into overdrive with rapid cuts, fast-mo, slow-mo and insert shots trying to build the suspense to see if the contestant will change the direction of switch.

However in every wide shot where the switch and the locomotive is visible, the points are shown to never move from their initial position, even if an insert shot shows the pints moving or the contestant moving the lever. The scenario is run more than once, in one the points are reverse and stay reverse and in the other they are set normal and stay normal. While this might fool the casual viewer, for the rail-informed watcher will know the fix is in once the locomotive appears and is moving faster than a jog, because there is no way in hell some shortline was going to allow the producers (and by extension the contestant) to actually solve the trolley problem and derail their locomotive. To the show's credit the switch mechanism was never shown in detail and the area around where a hand throw switch stand would be was intentionally hidden from view, however I am not sure how much this ultimately mattered for the viewers given the moving points were only shown in extreme close-up.

Here's what I believe went down in the actual production. First, while technically possible, its highly unlikely that a short line would have rigged up a power assist switch to the prop lever when a hidden grip could easily do the same job. The contestant was given some amount of time to make his choice while literal man behind a curtain followed the position of the lever and used the hand throw stand to align the switch points for the benefit of all involved. Then at some point, possibly even before the locomotive emerged from the smoke the choice was set and the train was allowed to do its thing. All of the drama was then manufactured in the editing room.

That's the irony of the situation. The show theoretically sets up a contestant the chance to solve the trolley problem, but doesn't have the balls (or insurance coverage) to actually allow the contestant to solve the trolley problem. What people don't get about the trolley problem is that the choices you are given aren't the only choices that exist. If one puts the points on center, the trolley derails and comes to safe stop. This is how split point derails work after all. (Conversely if you throw the points after the first truck passes over them, but before the second, you can get the trolley to drift and kill both sets of people tied to the tracks.) The real life trolley problem tries to set up a binary choice to explore an moral dilemma, however the mechanics of the problem allow folks with knowledge and the ability to think outside the box to make a choice where everybody lives. That's the important takeaway. If presented with a no-win scenario, you change the conditions of the test. 

BTW, if you want to see how The Simpsons got an NYC Subway interlocking tower surprisingly right, check out this post here.