Signs! Signs! Everywhere a Sign! - East-West Terminal Railroads

In my previous articles about railroad station signs, I covered passenger and freight railroads in the "east" and "west", but this approach had one small oversight in the form terminal railroads that straddle the east-west divide. These include the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern, Indiana Harbour Belt, , Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis and Kansas City Terminal. The Minnesota Commercial Railway does not appear to operate any interlockings while the New Orleans Public Belt will see an honorable mention for its now closed interlocking towers. 

Starting off with the IHB, this was a Conrail subsidiary that was later split between NS and CSX. It continues to white on blue Conrail style station signs although in a different font and often mounted on signal gantries or cantilever masts. In a more recent development the interlockings bracketing Gibson Yard, CP-COLUMBIA and CP-GIBSON, have used a Penn Central font with eastbound CP-COLUMBIA in Conrail blue and CP-GIBSON and westbound CP-COLUMBIA in PC black. 


 

 

The EJE, since merged into CN, likely had the most distinctive terminal railroad station signs with green on orange lettering that would typically include the railroad's "The J" logo.  

The BRC, owned jointly by all 6 US Class 1 railways, makes do with a small stencil on the hut or nothing at all. This strategy is shared by the TRRA in St. Louis, although historically a TRRA logo sis appear on some towers.  

The KCT has generally aligned with its local Class 1 KCS using large black lettering on a white background. Historically the wide tower signs had "KC" on either side of the station name. 

This is similar to the New Orleans Public Belt which had similar white on black signs on the two interlocking towers it controlled, EAST BRIDGE JCT and WEST BRIDGE JCT, at either end of the Huey P Long Bridge. 

 

As far as I am aware that's the current state of station signs for the mid-continental terminal railroads as of 2025.