One of our members, Mark Knebel, has been busy this summer with his paint brush. His excellent handiwork is pictured herein. This is Hoosier Valley's "NO RIGHT TURN" signal which was originally located on the Pennsylvania Railroad in Effingham, Illinois. At one time, the signal actually worked here at HVRM off of our track circuits, but for some reason, is not operational at the present time. These signals were used where streets closely parallel a track and activate when a train hits the signals circuit. Usually that are used in conjunction with crossing gates or flashers. The example shown is to prohibit right turns of automotive traffic, but others prohibited left turns. I'm trying to find out if there are other museums that have these signals in their collections and if they are displayed in a working condition. Thanks very much for any info.

Les

I have one in pieces in my garage which contains more items than many museums.

765nkp -

Thanks! My hope is that you'll get the signal together one day and operational.


Les

Les,
I have every intention of getting it together and displaying it. It had no glass in it when I acquired it but I was lucky enough to find a gentleman in Virginia who had several lenses. Thanks for posting your picture as I now have something to go by plus the inspiration to get mine done now.
Jerry

Indiana Transportation Museum has one in operation on there line at the 56th St crossing. However, ITM is not currently running, and the line itself may be in serious trouble in so far as a railroad is concerned, not because of supposed safety issues, but local politics.....How sad.

Jerry -

Wish you well with the restoration. Post a photo when you get it done if you can. BTW, do you have any idea as to its history?

Les

Les:
Here in Bucyrus, Ohio along the PRR 2 track Ft. Wayne Line they had a bunch of those. We had both (NO RIGHT TURN and NO LEFT TURN). They were still used until about 2 years ago.
There is a famous Bob Lorenz photo of a Q-2 passing them, so they date to the mid 1940's.

Kevin K.

AlcoGuy -

Thanks for the info. This is a former Nickel Plate Road line. I looked for a photo on the internet taken at 56th Street, but couldn't find one posted. There probably is one out there somewhere.

Les

I have never seen one of the signals but can see the need for them. Several years ago I saw a driver make a right turn, go about 100 feet and run into a parked locomotive. The driver claimed the train ran out in front of him but we witnesses all said that the train was stopped on the crossing at the time.

McHugh Bros. - New Hope & Ivyland RR bought signal supplies from parts of railroads that didn't make it into ConRail, including these turn signals. On the Reading Railroad, there was a blinking yellow signal light above the illuminated No ... Turn signal. I copied that practice when I installed a No Right Turn signal to protect Stockton Ave. at Ferry St. in New Hope, Pa. Then Jimmy McHugh told me that he wanted the inscription to blink. I made the change and then pointed out that you could only see the warning half of the time. He told me that he meant me to install 2 of the No Right Turn signals, one above the other, blinking alternately, and no yellow light.
The current owners of NH&I RR may still have some of the used parts in their inventory.

Jim -

Interesting. In the photo at the beginning of this thread, the light at the top is yellow and "blinks" when the track circuit is activated. The bottom frosted light reads "NO RIGHT TURN" but remains on and not blinking. At least that's the way I remember it when it was working here at the museum. So does the NH&I have any of these signals that you installed still in place?


Les

Metra still uses these signals at several points along the Beverly branch of the Rock Island District, as well as on the the South Chicago branch of the Electric District. Whenever I've seen one when a train is going past, they are working.

TVRM has a few in use on the old Belt Line. Those are signs that unfold when the signal circuit is activated.

Lake Shore Railway Museum in North East, PA, has two "no left turn" signals off the former NKP Erie, PA, 19th Street tracks. One is installed outdoors and operates in conjunction with the museum driveway railway crossing signal as it did on the NKP tracks--the same crossing is also protected by an ex-NKP 19th Street track guard shanty. The other signal is on display indoors and is lit prototypically from the museum's 12v power supply (a large 12v powerpack that supplies power to most of the museum's restored/operational signals).

[rayg]

David, Alan, Chevy (Ray G.) -

Thanks for the additional info. Photos would be appreciated if that might be possible.


Les