Just A Car Guy: This unusual signal in Ohio, 1971, was a "position light telephone train order signal," used to notify crews of the need to stop at a nearby railroad telephone box and "phone home" for instructions.

Tuesday, August 07, 2018

This unusual signal in Ohio, 1971, was a "position light telephone train order signal," used to notify crews of the need to stop at a nearby railroad telephone box and "phone home" for instructions.

A closer look at a Pennsylvania Railroad signal bridge in Wooster, Ohio. The Pennsy's distinctive position light signals came in a huge variety of configurations, with the upper set of lights framed by round or semi-rectangular backplates and the lower set with or without backplates, with anywhere from one to nine individual bulbs and a corresponding variety of meanings. Seeing those brilliant yellow lamps (carefully designed for maximum fog penetration) forming strange unearthly heiroglyphics in the darkness was an unforgettable experience.