(erielack) Re: EL Mail List Digest V3 #3311; NOT a Towerman, but

[harebridle_@_aol.com]

To Joe and Bob, and List;
      Back in the 60's, I had opportunities to visit several towers, 
Summit NJ; E Stroudsburg PA;
Dover and Pt Morris NJ; and also the PRR at East Penn Station, 
Elizabeth, and on the NY & LB at WC (Woodbridge Jct.) and SA (South 
Amboy), the latter two, many, MANY times.
      In all of the ones I saw, the operator would set signals to STOP, 
align the switch(es), and THEN pull up the signal(s). It was impossible 
to do it out of this sequence, because of their INTERLOCKING.
At E Stroudsburg, many of the levers were of the "armstrong" type, but 
except for the black ones, which did the adjacent street crossing 
gates, were electrified. (those were not interlocked with any switches 
or signals.) I had the chance to actually "work" these once, while the 
op was handing up orders to a freight; I have this on tape! It was 
interesting to hear Dover handle "Scoots" or MU's way out here.
The levers at Dover were similar.
The others were of the Electro-Pneumatic design, ie, the smaller levers 
"rocked" from center, either right or left.
On an "armstrong," you would set a signal to STOP by restoring its 
lever, re-align switches with other levers, one for each switch or 
cross-over, and pull up the signal for the intended route. You were 
unable to pull up any other route, so if you were routing over a 
cross-over curved, you could only pull up the signal head that cleared 
that routing; the lever that routed straight thru was "locked." Thus 
each blade of a semaphore, or head of a "bulb" signal had its separate 
lever.
On the Electic machines, you would throw the signal lever to center, if 
it wasn't already, then throw another for the switch, and then clear 
the route's signal either left or right depending on the trains' 
direction.
Here, the machine automatically displayed a signal indication for the 
route you had lined up.
The aspect would depend on what trains might be ahead on that routing, 
but you really didn't get concerned with that, except if a train was in 
the block immediately ahead; then you had to press a button to get a 
"call-on"
or RESTRICTING aspect.
After I showed some proficiency, the ops at WC, and especially SA, 
would let me work the levers by myself;
the op at SA was often busy writing train orders for the "back road" to 
Jamesburg, Midway, and Bordentown, which was signalled, with levers in 
SA, but under Manual Block Rules.
SA had 1 unusual lever; center was stop for the W'bd Signal into S 
Amboy; Right cleared it; after a psgr train knocked it down, and 
cleared its block, you could throw it Left, which un-locked the 
hand-throw where the PRR loco was waiting, to relIeve the GG-1. This 
prevented the car-knocker from throwing the facing-point switch until 
the psgr train had had time to stop.
The towers on the PRR, Elmora, WC, and SA, (and Matawan, which I never 
got into) worked on sort of a
Manual Block system, ie, they didn't clear a route until the preceding 
towerman announced the passing of a train. On the NY&LB, there was more 
time between trains, but at Elmora (S Elizabeth), you had to pay close 
attention, as you might get six trains at once.
SA answered 3 DS's, the LB in Long Branch, the PRR Frt for the back 
road, and the PRR Psgr for the electrics. He also could talk with the 
Bel-Del, for heads-up for something coming via Midway.
WC had 3, the CNJ, the PRR, and the Long Branch.
Elmora reported to 2, Psgr and Frt.
      WC had a small CTC panel for the CNJ at the Woodbridge Creek Draw 
at Barbers.
Stroudsburg had a larger one for Bell's Bridge. And Summit had one for 
Wyoming, at Millburn.
When there was a strike in the harbor, and piloting slowed, I applied 
to the Penn for a job; I didn't tell them that I had already "posted" 
in at least 4 of their towers, and was qualified in one, but the strike 
ended.

A lot of my knowledge comes from a series of articles in MODEL RR'er on 
"armstrong" plants, from the 50's;
more from a reprint by John Armstrong, "All about Signals." from 
TRAINS;
as well as watching plants being worked at City Hall on the BMT subway, 
the Newark City Subway, the PATH Shop in Harrison, the FEC in St. 
Augustine, and on the C&O at Hinton, where there was a picture window 
in the depot wall, where folks could watch.
73's, Charlie Gerow
- -------------------------------
I'LL LET THE TOWER MAN ANSWER THIS, BUT I WOULD  ASSUME THAT THE 
SIGNALS
WOULD HAVE TO BE SET FIRST THEN THE  SWITCHES.
  ------i think it is the opposite-------


4.  If the signals were controlled independently of the turnouts, would 

eacharm have its own "switch"?
I BELIEVE SO ON THE SIGNALS,   AN ENTIRE CROSS OVER WOULD BE  THROWN BY 
ON
LEVER.
AGAIN I'LL DEFER TO THE TOWER GUYS.
- ----------yes; slip switches were treated as part of a cross-over, 
also------




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