The D&H thread led me to watch some D&H video and I learned they still used many semaphores into the 1990s when the Susquehanna was operating the D&H. This brings up the questions are there any semaphores still in use in the US. I'd like to hear about operable museum use, but mainly on non-museum lines - where they have been in continuous use rather than re-erected for demonstration.

Google Southwest Limited Semaphore

Ration Line on the AT&SF in New Mexico is the last place. Union Switch & Signal Style T-2.

Kevin K.

Raton (sp) my bad !
Kevin K

Are the semaphores really still in place on Raton? I rode the Southwest Chief over Raton in both directions in the summer of 2014 and never saw any, and that was almost 5 years ago now.

-Philip Marshall

Philip -

The wife and I rode the Southwest Chief two years ago, and they were still in service then. Along with searchlight signals, which are also starting to disappear quickly these days. There is also a working wig-wag somewhere along the way, which may be the last one still in service on a common carrier, although I have never been able to see it from the train.

Les

The Illinois Railway Museum has a couple on its demo track, among a medley of signal styles that seem to be a "one of everything" compilation.

There are lots of semaphores operating on British heritage railways, but I doubt that interests you.........

Actually, these were ex Erie as this was on the former Erie/EL Southern Tier Line west of Binghamton where D&H ran out to Buffalo via trackage rights.

Joshua

And not just on heritage railways! (Severn Bridge Junction in Shrewsbury comes to mind.)

-Philip Marshall

A couple of fairly largish resignalling schemes are close to completion here at the moment, so semaphores are gradually vanishing off the main network.
The last enclave here in the east of the UK, the lines from Norwich to Gt Yarmouth & Lowestoft will be gone this year, though there has been a delay to the implementation date originally planned.
Scenes like this at Lowestoft haven't got long to go (and the rolling stock will be replaced in 2019 too....)

I guess you weren't looking? They are pretty visible on the Raton pass line. I even managed to get some ok photos from the sightseer lounge car.

I once ate dinner with someone on the Zephyr who said they were hoping to see wildlife from the train and were sad they didn't. On the same day I had seen bald eagles, red fox, big horn sheep, elk, and deer.

No, I was specifically looking for them the whole time between Trinidad and Raton, since I knew they were supposed to be there. Searchlights yes, but no semaphores. (If they were west of Raton itself then I definitely missed them, since that was where I got off.)

-Philip Marshall

As of today, th semaphores at Wagon Mound NM and at least the next two blocks east are still in use. Several dismantled semaphores are stored behind bar wire in Las Vegas NM.

Jason Midyette

Edit - semaphores continue a ways past Wagon Mound towards Raton. They are hard to see from the train now that we are actually moving at track speed.

I was just driving south on I-25 from raton. Around mile marker 390 there are two semiphors on the east side of the road.

While there are no semaphores remaining on Raton Pass, they can be found over wide stretches of both the Raton Subdivision and the Glorieta Subdivision The furthest east (north) can be found at railroad milepost 706 west (south) of Springer, near the abandoned siding of Robinson (of wreck fame). From there to east end of Wagon Mound nearly all are intact save for the east end of Levy and one intermediate signal. The next grouping starts at the location of Romero Siding west of Las Vegas, where they are unbroken until a pair of intermediates at Bernal (between sidings of Chapelle and Blanchard). This completes the ones on the BNSF, meanwhile, 4 others are still in use on the State of New Mexico trackage west of Lamy, though save for one, are relatively inaccessible by passenger vehicle.