Trainman2 said:
On the New York and Long Branch particularly, block signals had two heads. The lower one was mounted on the opposite side of the pole from the upper head.
Just so we're all on the same page, this is a photo of a block signal like the one that I remember:
I suppose that the heads are indeed mounted on "opposite sides of the pole", but I think we should be clear that this means they are slightly offset from one another as you face the signal.
You said a bit earlier:
From the way you describe the sounds, I'm guessing the control relays were inside the signal itself, rather than in a separate cabinet.
This makes sense and I had never really thought about it as an adult. The signal above is nearly identical to the one I remember and, yes, it would appear that the relays are in a cabinet integral to the signal pole. I could be wrong in thinking that I heard the clicking up near the signal head. Maybe I just remember it from the cabinet at the bottom.
If you look at that picture, there's a little catwalk/platform underneath the upper signal. We would climb the ladder at the back and then stand on that platform hugging the signal pole when trains passed by. It was a quite a thrill. Looking at the picture now -- and how close the signal is to the tracks -- makes me wonder about all sorts of things, like how much trouble a kid would be in if he tried doing something like that today. The engineers would always wave back; I also remember being eye level with the guy riding in the caboose as he sat with his arm out the cupola window.
Fun discussion and memories.
Steven J. Serenska
