Hello,

In the last few months, I noticed the old position light signals on Amtrak's Keystone double track west of Lancaster, PA are disappearing. At first they were covered with heavy white shrink wrap. Now several have been removed. I travel Rt 283 to work every day and noticed the changes.

Does anyone know the scoop? I assume they are upgrading technology and/or increasing the length of the blocks. Concrete ties and disappearing position lights.......sign-o-the-times.

In the last year or so, I was heading east on 283 and an east-bound Amtrak train had stopped at one of those signals at Salunga, PA...a bit unusual. The locomotive was one of their 4-axle electrics with maybe 3-4 cars in tow? As I passed the train, it just started to move, basically crawling beyond a stop. I was going at least 70 MPH at this point, I held my speed constant. The train blew by me just as I passed under RT 722...slightly over 2 miles, in less than two minutes.......pretty impressive acceleration. I would suspect a GG1 could have done the same?! (.........a few GG1's passed those old signals as well.)

Have a good evening.

Randy

Signal upgrades west of Lancaster were part of the Keystone Corridor rehab plans. What I've seen in a few spots are CPLs going up to replace the Pennsy era PLs.

I can't think of the rule number right now, but they're going to have cab signals with wayside signals just at the interlockings (one advanced, one at the interlocking). So all the automatic signals are going/gone. All said and done, I think they want to have all dispatching done by Wilmington, so that means an end to Cork Tower. (and state, and thorn)

But those yellow PRR position lights look pathetically pale to the blinding LED colored position lights replacing them. Don't stare directly at the stop signal...

I wonder if there will be a day when wayside signals will go the way of picking up mail on the fly, steam locomotives, and towers.

Maybe someday... but these signals are still needed. They have "clear to next interlocking" lights which allow the trains to run if the cab signal system goes kaputt. There's also some freight trains that run on the corridor at night that make long reverse moves with cabin cars on the rear. So to get rid of the signals, I'd guess you'd have to equip those with cab signals and LSL. (which wouldn't be a bad idea, actually)