OK, before we even post any pics, I need to post some information on this U.S.& S. T-2 semaphore. It spent its life just outside of Albuquerque on the route of the Southwest Chief. According to the writing inside the case, it was installed May 31st, 1939. Several other service dates were also recorded through the late 60's.

I picked this one up several months ago after I went on a mission to locate a T-2. Something about the black blade and it being different than the rest that caught my eye. Tore it apart to clean and blast everything. Solid coat of primer and a coat of silver (Rustoleum aluminum if you really want to know).

Technically this should be mounted on a "half B" case but being a top of mast mechanism I opted for another location in the yard that didn't allow for a case. About three weeks ago I welded up a gantry of sorts that fit into the top of the mast that I connected a chain hoist to. Up it went, as did my blood pressure and nerves while it hung in the air.

It sat (up) there until this past weekend when I managed to stare at a wiring schematic (for far too many hours) that came out of the Topeka shops on 9-1-32. A piece of wire here, a piece of wire there and voila...I managed to not blow the thing up and it now works great.

Purists out there please don't cringe, but it's only nine feet up. I'm waiting for the top clamp to arrive so for right now a U-bolt took it's place and as soon as the drawing that fellow member, Mr. Kevin Kohls, was kind enough to provide arrives, I will make the light blocking plate that helps to prevent false indications.

So hopefully all of the above info will keep everyone happy. Thanks for looking, and reading.

Very nice. I need to see your garden the next time I'm in SoCal!

Thanks. My backyard is always available for those that wish to visit.

WOW ! awsome T-2 and a nice looking NC&StL Whistle and Ring sign all the way out in CA!!
Bruce

I don't have an SP rulebook, so I have to ask; why is the blade painted black? The whole point of the blade was so that the indication could be seen during the day back before illumination technology could make a colored lens visible against the sun... most rules I'm familiar with painted the BACKS of the blades black to make them less visible, so they wouldn't be confused with signals that were intended to be seen from the direction of travel.

Hi Dennis, I'm going to defer to one of the resident expert on the forum. I might be showing some ignorance here, but would an SP rulebook cover a Sante Fe line?

So the Southwest Chief runs on the ex Santa Fe portion of the BNSF? I don't really pay any attention to Amtrak.

As I don't have an AT&SF rulebook either, the question still remains. I think you'll find that only one side of the blade should be black, but I'm always open to learn something.

The black on both sides is in fact 100% correct for the Sante Fe T-2's.

Check out a slick website called redoveryellow.com which shows numerous T-2s in operation along that line.

A google search will yield the same results.

The T-2 looks great ! The tracing of the blinder has been done and will be sent out this week.
According to an old TRAINS magazine that I have; On the AT&SF not only were the blades painted black, but some were white, and some were black with white diagonal strips ! In the beginning the signals CASE, T-2 Mechanism, and Pinnacle were painted black and the mast was painted white. I often wondered why they switched to aluminum paint until one very hot and summer day I burned my hands opening the case on my semaphore here in the mid -west. Now I fully understand why aluminum paint was the color of choice for those south western roads !

Kevin K.

It took a while to get back to this. Black semaphore blades are certainly strange looking to my Midwestern eyes, but here is what long time Santa Fe researcher and modeler Andy Sperandeo had to say:

"The Santa Fe's approach to semaphore blades was to paint them to contrast with the background, so the color of the blade has nothing to do with the type of signal or its indications. The following therefore applied to both block and interlocking signals, and also to train order signals."

"The blades were black when they would be seen against the sky from the cab of an approaching train, or white if they'd be seen against trees or a dark hillside. If there was no clear choice either way they'd be painted with alternating black and white diagonal stripes... no kidding! This practice dates back to at least the 1920s if not earlier."

That's good info, from a good guy. (when MR published my model railroad he politely tolerated my continuous emails and was very accommodating every step of the way).

Brownie points to the first person that can post a pic here of a black/white diagonal striped blade...please.

The wife and I just came in from Flagstaff, Arizona on AMTRAK train 4, the Southwest Chief and I enjoyed seeing the ex-AT&SF semaphores in operation on sections of the line. Absolutely wonderful!

Les