NP Cantilever Signal Retirement

softwerkslex · **Posted:** Fri Mar 11, 2016 4:57 pm

You may have seen this news item today
http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2016/03/11-last-np-cantilever-signal-in-minnesota-removed-from-service

Questions:
Why are the new signals at a much lower height than the old signals?

The new signals are no longer facing the engineer side. One signal will be on the right side of the tracks and one will be on the left side. I assume both signals will still point in the same direction as the cantilever.

Train Detainer · **Posted:** Fri Mar 11, 2016 5:14 pm

Simply a matter of sight lines. With signals for both tracks on one mast (the cantilever) the heads had to be high enough that crews on the left track (facing the signals) could see them over the top of a train on the right track. The cantilever arm provided horizontal separation to distinguish which signal is for which track. In both cases, providing clearly distinguishable aspects at as great a distance as possible is the goal. Whether a signal is on the right or left side of the track it protects makes no difference, as long as it is clear which track it protects.

Les Beckman · **Joined:** Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm **Posts:** 6482

The BIG question is, did any museum save the NP cantilever and two searchlight signals? We'd like a cantilever here at HVRM, but a long way from Minnesota. Hopefully one of the museums up there preserved this cantilever, or perhaps one that came down a bit earlier.

Les

PMC · **Joined:** Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:55 pm **Posts:** 2870

The one cantilever that I know about being saved is an ex-Santa Fe on Niles Canyon Railway:

http://www.ncrysignal.com/projects/signal-bridge