The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1909-11-19
STOP! LOOK! LISTEN!
A TALK WITH THE SIGNALMAN

'liow about the single track? ?" '"rhe
automatic arrangement Is the same. only
there In signal at each end"
Isn't Il a possible thing FOR a train
10 enter "A single track at one end on
the same instant another enters AZ me
opposite end7 What them
"Yes-but we have that taken care o.
on double track, train through ne
signal talks only 10 the train behind
ON the single track II not only talks
back but also TO one which may be- com.
ing from the opposite direction This is
done Ivy the current overlapping from
one block 10 the next. Before the on
trance to a single-track block h. reached
the train sets "A stop signal at the Far
end o. the block u is about 10 enter
And as II enters the block Il also SEA-,
the entrance signal TO stop. just as Is
lone on double-track"
How does an engineer know before lie
sees the home arm what IL will signal f"
I'VE put up another signal from a halt
mile TO a mile from the entrance 10 a
block-in the direction from which the
train approaches II is called Distant
The one at the entrance is called the
Home signal The distant indicates the
position OF home signal see?"
"Is the distant distinguished from NE
lome signal TO MD the engineer
Yes. the Distant is painted yellow.
With black bar. and has "A fOrked end.
he Home red. with white bar ana
quare end"
displayed only when something occurs
Nnything but trains occur?'
Now you touch the most important
eature OF the outfit, and the principal
eason why the arm Is made SO that
when left to itself II will stay firmly
at stop. As II is constructed it cannot
show anything but stop. unless the entire
combination OF rails, wire, current mag
net. etc. working perfectly II
wire parts, a rail breaks, n battery falls
Itch 10
the combination fails. the arm Is released
and resumes horizontal position. The en-
gineer knows you see, when sigma saws
stop: there may be a train. am open
switch. a break in the track or IN tie
! signaling apparatus.
what is done at night when me
semaphore arm cannot be seem?
Lights OF several colors are used On
| these same posts. These are seen through
spectacles in the butt or weighted end
| OF the arm. and are displayed and ob-
| scured according TO the signal
why the name spectacle
That's what IL Is. The light g. white
OF ordinary flame color supplied hy an
| eight-day lamp II will burn eight days
without replenishing although an lamps
are rehlled every -four or five days When
the home signal is In stop position. tie
engineer sees the flame through il rfd
glass That's stop. and II Is used only
/ I'm the home signals. N distant signh
\ Is al caution he sees through yellow
| glass. yellow is used only In the distant
signal. Ii tells the engineer it Is tie
distant. and 20 be prepared 90 stop 10
the home signal. He may see thr1l-h
green glass That means proceed. and
| is used In 10th home and distant slgulif
what does a white light mean
"Well, II is so easy 90 have We DON'T
dare use H. As white Hight on a sera-
phore can be displayed by breaking -r.c-
tace glasses. you can understand Why
! Il is impossible in our scheme
How about places where two or more
| lines cross at gradeg
THE general principle. movement Z
arm by day. and coors OF light az u.rnt,
are the same. but being greatly conn r
Gated all signals are controlled hy levers
operated by men from a central station.
| The crossing and contiguous tracks are
governed by the Interlocking system
when in perfect order and unnocl-
pied * displays stop to every track ap-
preaching the crossing The block. sou
n.IlIl NIL l